Meditour 2014
On 27 November, Barcelona hosted the sixth edition of the Mediterranean Tourism Forum (Meditour 2014) which was organized by the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Beirut and Mount-lebanon and The Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCAME). It had a special focus on Lebanon, reaffirming Beirut’s reputation as a major intellectual, cultural and tourist center in the Eastern Mediterranean. The forum discussed the creation of the Mediterranean Tourism Agency and the investment of over USD 1 trillion to develop Mediterranean tourism. Inagurated by Minister of Tourism, Michel Pharaon and President of ASCAME and the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Beirut and Mount-lebanon, Mohamed Choucair, many other major players in Barcelona tourism were also present. The forum focused on recovering from the tourism crisis affecting countries in the Mediterranean. The session focusing on Lebanon was moderated by the General Director of the Ministry of Tourism in Lebanon Nada Sardouk and discussed the challenges of tourism in Lebanon with guests that included the President of Syndicate of Lebanon Hotel owners, Pierre Achkar; Representative of Ecotourism, Rafic Bazerji; President of Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants, Cafes, Nightclubs and Pastries in Lebanon; Paul Ariss; President of Beiteddine Festival, Nora Joumblat; President of the Association of Travel and Tourism Agents in Lebanon, Jean Abboud; President of Byblos Municipality Council in Lebanon, Ziad el Hawat; Managing Director of Hospitality Services, Joumana Damous and the Office Manager of Solidere, Micheline Abi Samra.