This article forms part of a series of publications under MEDUSA project’s “Mediterranean sub-grant Adventure Tourism Competition” which aims at catalyzing the creation of new innovative adventure tourism products and experiences and upgrading existing products in our partner territories Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia, Puglia (Italy) and Catalonia (Spain).

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The René Moawad Foundation, MEDUSA project’s partner in Lebanon, awarded 33 North, the MEDUSA sub-grant.  33 North is an adventure tourism community offering wild journeys in Lebanon most pristine terrains.

With the help of the MEDUSA Sub-Grant, 33 North aims to promote Adventure Tourism in two villages in Lebanon located by the Syrian Borders, where a shortage of activities is witnessed. The director of 33 North, Gilbert Moukheiber gave us more details about the future of the project.

Promoting Adventure Tourism in Lebanon

33 North has been in the adventure tourism sector for more than 25 years and since the start, in 1996, they have focused their operations in areas off the beaten tracks, where there is no mass tourism. They worked on creating unique products, such as winter expeditions and trekking expeditions.

For the past two years, 33 North have been developing a long-distance trail called “Boukaat Loubnan Trails” (in Arabic دروب بقعة لبنان ) which starts in Deir El Ahmar (Baalbek district) goes through Hermel (Baalbek district) and Anjar (Zahle district) and ends in Shebaa (Hasbaya district) on the Mount Hermon TourTrail. It would take a month days to finish this trail and the trekker has the opportunity to stay in guesthouses or camp and discover the landmarks along the way.

The objectives

The objectives set out in 33 North’s application aimed to support “Boukaat Loubnan Trails” (in Arabic دروب بقعة لبنان ), and making them safe and accessible to everyone. Specifically, they wish to install signs along the trail, and on the trailhead which according to Gilbert was “a 2000-year-old Roman irrigation canal which was used to transport water from Labweh (Baalbek district) to Tadmor (Palmyra) in Syria”, and finally on the landmarks in Qaa and Ras Baalbek in order to position these villages on the tourism map. Moreover, 33 North is working on a one of its kind dark tourism product in Lebanon called the “Anti Lebanon Trail” which explores the areas involved in the Lebanese Army’s military ““Fajr al-Joroud Operation” against ISIS in 2017. Finally, 33 North will be training local guides and working on guesthouses.

MEDUSA project and Rene Moawad Foundation’s contribution to the development of the project

Thanks to the Rene Moawad Foundation and the MEDUSA project, 33 North was able to successfully install the aforementioned signs, train local guides form the area which creates job opportunities, and finally support guesthouses in Ras Baalbek and Qaa in buying products for the houses.

The future of Adventure Tourism in Lebanon

“Lebanon’s potential in adventure tourism has not yet been met!” said Gilbert, adding that the country has so much to offer and so many products and destinations to be discovered and developed. “There are all kinds of activities in Lebanon, we can hike, do trekking, all types of winter activities, snowshoeing, back country skiing, alpine skiing, snow expedition, rafting, diving, scuba diving, caving, and we even have the biggest rock climbing sector in the Middle East!” Lebanon has to take advantage of this and put itself on the adventure tourism map. Finally, on the occasion of World Tourism Day, Gilbert calls on everyone involved in the tourism sector to rethink tourism, and develop products that diffuse the Lebanese image, heritage, natural capital, and involve local communities.