BEIRUT: Saudi tourism to Lebanon is tipped to increase after a boost in diplomatic ties between the two nations. In a visit to Lebanon by Thamer Al-Sabhan, Saudi minister for Arabian Gulf Affairs, the diplomat told President Michel Aoun that Saudi Arabian Airlines would increase its flights to Beirut. Lebanese-Saudi relations have been troubled in recent years as a result of the Syrian crisis.
The Gulf countries earlier barred their citizens from traveling to Lebanon, while Saudi Arabia last year suspended $3 billion in military aid involving French arms to Lebanon.
But President Aoun’s visit to Riyadh at the beginning of the year paved the way for restoring warm ties between the two nations, and Al-Sabhan’s visit to Beirut was perceived as “a complementary effort comfortably received by the Lebanese,” said Future Bloc MP Ammar Houri.
“The Kingdom has always been keen to offer Lebanon help and support in all fields and arenas,” Houri said.
“The Lebanese state’s proven ability to control security and fight terrorism combined with a warm welcome to our Saudi brothers constitutes favorable conditions for the Saudi comeback to Lebanon,” he said.
The head of the Lebanese Hotel Owners’ Association, Pierre Ashkar, has a similar view. He perceives Al-Sabhan’s visit as another positive step complementing President Aoun’s trip to the Kingdom.
“The Gulf people, especially the Saudis, represent the backbone of tourism in Lebanon. Our country’s history is a witness to the importance of these relations which date from the second half of the last century to the present,” Ashkar said.
He thinks that further coordination between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia will be a critical factor in improving relations between them.
However, Ashkar doesn’t expect an immediate increase in the number of Saudi tourists.
“Saudi tourists have not been coming to Lebanon for the last three or four years and they were previously in full swing for 365 days a year,” Ashkar said. “Now we have to wait a while before things get back to normal.”
“Some VIP Saudi tourists, though in small numbers, have visited Lebanon after being absent for a long time. They found that Lebanon was as welcoming as ever and the streets were not filled with garbage as the media had suggested.”
Economic expert Dr. Marwan Iskandar stressed that the visit by a Saudi minister indicated that the Kingdom was returning to comfortable relations with Lebanon.
“Saudi trips to Lebanon are very significant, as there are many Saudis who have properties in Lebanon and the country is, after all, a desirable destination. And Lebanon suffered a great deal from the boycott by Arab nations, specially the Gulf ones, as a result of the Syrian crisis,” he said.
Stronger Saudi-Lebanese ties bode well for tourism
Stronger Saudi-Lebanese ties bode well for tourism
Arab identity, heritage in focus at Riyadh’s Arab Narrative Days event
- Event highlights evolution of Arabic language, culture and civilization
- ALECSO partnership strengthens knowledge programs aimed at preserving heritage
RIYADH: Prince Turki Al-Faisal, chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, inaugurated the third Al-Marwiyah Al-Arabiyah, or Arab Narrative Days, event in Riyadh on Sunday.
The two-day event, with the theme “From Orientalist Narrative to Arab Narrative,” aims to reconstruct the Arab narrative within a critical framework and reclaim the strengths of Arab and Islamic culture.
It also highlights the aspects that have shaped Arab civilization, culture and identity, while shedding light on history and society.
Prince Turki said in his opening remarks that the Arab aesthetic was born from “the silence of the desert and the clarity of its horizon,” where beauty first emerged as sound, script and orientation converged to shape early Arab consciousness.
The chairman addressed the foundational moment when the Arabic language rose to prominence with the revelation. He added that this transformation began with the descent of the Holy Qur’an, when the Arabs were captivated by its eloquence, and with the growing importance of writing, as “Arabic calligraphy became the vessel of the Divine Word, giving rise to the journey of Arab Islamic art.”
He highlighted that the center has upheld this vision since its inception, transforming its treasures and collections into an “Arabic narrative” visible through art and knowledge, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Prince Turki said that cooperation with the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization reflects this approach and establishes a knowledge partnership that restores attention to the Arabic narrative through the “Arab Narrative” programs.
Mohamed Ould Amar, director-general of ALECSO, commended the center’s role as a beacon of scientific research in the Arab world.
He added that organizing the Arab Narrative Days aligns with the organization’s vision of preserving Arab heritage and reinforcing its presence in modern consciousness.
Amar said that the project is a pivotal step in rebuilding the Arab narrative on critical foundations, restoring the cultural presence of Arabs throughout their scientific and intellectual history, and linking creativity, language, identity and the paths of modernization.
The third edition extends the first edition of Arab Narrative Days, held in February 2023, which focused on critiquing classical narration and tracing the journey of science to and from the Arabs, highlighting that restoring the civilizational role begins with the nation’s awareness of its history and identity.
It also builds on the second edition, held in May 2024, which reinterpreted the culture of the desert as the primary memory where language, imagination and values were formed, drawing on the legacy of Bedouin studies and the efforts of pioneers in documenting desert life and its cultural layers.
