Lebanon is on pace to receive two million tourists in 2009 for the first time in its history despite the global economic downturn, Dr Nada Sardouk Ghandour, Lebanon’s director general for the ministry of tourism, told AMEInfo.com on the sidelines of the Middle East Tourism Marketing Summit 2009 today.

Through the first three quarters of this year tourist arrivals in the country have topped 1.5 million, making it one of the few countries in the world to see its tourism industry grow amidst the financial crisis.

Ghandour credits the resilience of the country and its people as a key factor in its tourism growth, along with its rich history and natural beauty. She rejects negative portrayals of the country that sometimes appear in the media and movies. ‘Show me a country that is 100% safe. If you know of one, let’s all go there,’ she said.

Although the country’s tourism numbers are growing rapidly, it is not targeting mass tourism because it does not have the infrastructure to support it. Instead it is focusing on building a sustainable tourism sector that attracts ‘the right number of tourists from different regions of the world’, she said.

It is seeking to boost religious tourism and intraregional tourism. She called for the countries in the Middle East to adopt travel policies that will make it easier for people within the region to cross borders for travel.