Abboud, Gulf states\' Lebanon travel advisory

Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud played down Friday the Lebanon travel advisory issued by several Gulf states, saying that their citizens represent no more than 10 percent of tourists in the country. “These four countries do not represent more than 10 percent of tourism in Lebanon and despite the big-spending Arab whom we love, we need to diversify tourism,” Abboud said during a news conference at Le Grey Hotel, Beirut. In mid-May, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain advised their citizens to avoid all travel to Lebanon and urged those in the country to depart given the tense security situation. Their travel advisories came in the wake of clashes in the north of the country that left 11 dead and dozens wounded. During the news conference, Abboud also said that he will visit some of the Arab countries that issued the travel advisory for discussions on the matter. “It is ironic that Lebanon is being besieged by its friends. During the height of its troubles, they stood by us,” Abboud said. The minister also said that Beirut is safe compared to other cities in the world and that the Lebanese Army has taken control of the situation. He also spoke about distancing Lebanon from regional conflicts and said tourism should be shielded from political turmoil. “In Lebanon, we want to be as far removed as possible [from conflicts] because the civil war did not get us anywhere and our message to the world is one of coexistence,” he said.