A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Lebanon, Greece and Cyprus for cooperation intheir respective tourism sectors. The MoU was signed between the Lebanese Caretaker Minister of Tourism, theCypriot Deputy Minister of Tourism and the Greek Minister of Tourism during a meeting in Athens.The MoU aims to strengthen cooperation between all three sides in the sector and included an agreement fortheir participation in tourist exhibitions, seminars, conferences and promotional events taking place in any ofthe participants’ countries. Additionally, the cooperation of the three states in international organizations wastackles in the memorandum.  Close cooperation and the exchange of know-how in the field of research were agreed upon. The aforementioned know-how exchange will tackle the development of thematic tours in special interest tourism with a focus on religious, cultural and health & wellness tourism. The end goal of this step is joint tourism packages between the countries.  It is worth noting that the three sides of the agreement share a lot of cultural and religious history. The Phoenicians and Assyrians transported cultural elements of the late Bronze Age from the Near East to Greece in early history and introduced alphabetic writing to the Mediterranean. Greece had an impact on Lebanon whichremains to this day through ties between the country and the Greek Orthodox Church in Lebanon. Cyprus wasalso influenced by Greece as it was part of the Ancient Greek Empire where the island was said to have beenthe birthing place of the goddess Aphrodite. The three countries were also part of the Roman Empire and theOttoman Empire later on. This makes these countries highly tied in historical culture and religion which wouldattract to tourists interested in these segments.  Concurrently, an agreement was made for the exchange of expertise for the implementation of best practices in the tourism sector. The exchange of information regarding legislations in order to protect natural resources and cultural heritage as well as to support the education and training of workers in the sector was tackled as well. In parallel, the sharing of information on the implementation of new practices by any of the participating states is part of the agreement in the MoU. (ICE BEIRUT)

Fonte notizia: Bank Audi, Lebanon Weekly Monitor, 15-21 May 2023