The consequences of polluting the Lebanese territories and its effect on tourism

Abstract

Tourism in Lebanon is a central activity as it contributes substantially to the economys services-based economy and growth. On another front, pollution is an effect encountered daily in Lebanon whether it is from factories, vehicles or human beings doings. This research aims to study the impact of pollution perception by both Lebanese immigrants and foreign tourists on tourism in Lebanon. It also attempts to assess the response to those perceptions by "tourism service providers", mainly 5 star hotels. Therefore, the research examines in details the response of 100 Lebanese immigrants, 60 tourists and five top Lebanese hotels. In order to come up with expected results about whether or not there is a relationship between perception of pollution and tourism, and to assess the policies being implemented by the hotels when it comes to environmental management processes. Pollution and tourism are both very vital subjects to study since these two are and can occur anywhere worldwide. However, the preference to study the situation in Lebanon regarding these issues is because the researchers are of Lebanese nationality. This study showed the following results: the perception of the existence of pollution affects tourists that are visiting or want to visit Lebanon, while it does not have any effect on Lebanese immigrants because they will always come to Lebanon whether or not it is polluted. In addition, the hotels studied in this research show that they follow environmental policies that might play a role in attracting tourists.