LebTour

San Francisco, Barcelona, Sydney, and … Beirut? As surprising as it sounds, the Lebanese capital is fast becoming a popular gay destination. In fact, The New York Times dubbed Beirut as "the Provincetown of the Middle East" in a 2009 article, while the Dutch Winq magazine named it "the (gay) party capital of the Middle East."

Bertho Makso, the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) ambassador to Lebanon, is directing the first familiarization tour and symposium to Lebanon for professionals who work in the LGBT travel market.

Beirut has a lot of things to offer, from fabulous gay friendly beaches, to fantastic cafes, clubs, hamams and much more. The scene is diverse and surprising, you could find in the same club, gays of Druz, Christian, Muslim and Jewish origins, and these come in all shapes and sizes from muscle boys to bears. "Lebanon is a very liberal country. Once you're here, you'll be surprised," says Makso. "It's a county rich in attractions to appeal to LGBT travelers. Beirut is like nowhere else!"

Set for Oct. 13-18, 2010, the Beirut-based trip, will not only tour the capital and check out its vibrant gay nightlife, but also take participants to famous historic sites throughout the country. Highlights include the Roman ruins of Baalbek, the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos, the beaches of Jounieh, and the underground caverns of Jeita. Also on the itinerary: the picturesque village of Deir El Qamar with its red-tiled roofs and the neighbouring Beiteddine Palace, an architectural marvel dating to 1788 that now serves as the presidential summer palace. Participants can extend their trip to visit neighbouring Syria.

"We're looking forward to being part of a FAM trip to such a unique destination," says IGLTA President/CEO John Tanzella. "Lebanon isn't the first country that springs to mind for LGBT travel, but Beirut is getting a lot of attention from travel media right now. It's exciting to see an IGLTA member at the forefront of this type of gay outreach." Indeed, we, at Gay Middle East.com are excited about this unique and special event and hope it will help bring Lebanon and Beirut to the forefront of LGBT international travel as well as present opportunities for all LGBT communities in Lebanon.

Comments (1)

Sascha 07-08-2010

Fab intormation. Thanks for this and the Beirut destination description.

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