Vatican placed Lebanon on
pilgrimage destinations list

To promote religious tourism at places of interest

The Vatican has placed Lebanon on its list of Christian pilgrimage destinations for the year 2019, which is issued annually by the Holy See, the universal government of the Catholic Church.

This is first time in 12 years that Lebanon is on the Vatican’s list.

“It will attract tourists that might not have considered the country as a destination for religious tourism,” said Pierre Achkar, Chairman of the Association of Tourism Syndicates.

The Ministry of Tourism and the private sector, including the syndicates and travel agencies, will cooperate and communicate with international companies to encourage travelers to visit the country and explore its religious sites. Local travel agencies are preparing attractive packages that include tours to religious sites, accommodations, and airline tickets.

A program to promote cultural and religious tourism was launched last year by the Cultural Religious Tourism (CRT) unit, which is affiliated to the Office of the Prime Minister.

The CRT unit has produced a map detailing 250 Christian and Islamic religious sites, and work is ongoing to map additional 1,750 religious sites.