The Inclusive Tourism Program is a strategic, integrated approach that goes far beyond simply providing ramps or elevators to create a comprehensive and respectful tourism experience for everyone. It serves as a framework aimed at adapting Lebanon’s entire tourism environment to ensure that persons with disabilities (mobility, sensory, or intellectual), older people, and others with specific needs can enjoy tourist destinations without barriers or discrimination.

Core Components of the Program

Accessibility and Infrastructure

• Site assessment and retrofitting: A team of engineers and specialists assesses tourist sites (hotels, resorts, restaurants, museums, archaeological sites, beaches) according to rigorous international and local universal design standards.
• Engineering consultations: The program provides direct consultations to institutions to ensure correct modifications, including clear pathways, accessible restrooms, designated parking, visual and auditory signals, and easy access to information.
• Focus on the complete experience: Work is not limited to the facility itself but also includes accessibility to surrounding areas and tourist transport.

Training and Human Skills Development

• Changing culture: The program holds intensive workshops for hospitality and tourism professionals, from reception staff and drivers to managers, training them on proper etiquette for interacting with persons with disabilities.
• Comprehensive service: The goal is to equip staff with the skills to provide sensitive, appropriate assistance that goes beyond duty and delivers a genuinely welcoming experience, reinforcing the visitor’s dignity.

Information and Promotion

• Planning tool: A key output of the program is a guide or digital platform (sometimes an app or interactive map) that clearly indicates the accessibility level of each assessed tourist site, with detailed information on available services (e.g., wheelchairs for pools or beaches). This empowers persons with disabilities to make informed decisions before booking or visiting.
• Promotion: The program promotes these accessible destinations locally and internationally to attract a new segment of tourists who often avoid inaccessible locations.

Advocacy and Policy Development

• Partnership with the state: The program plays a pivotal role in pressuring and advocating with government bodies (Ministry of Tourism, Public Works, Interior) to make accessibility standards mandatory in licensing laws for new and existing tourist facilities.
• Awareness raising: The program runs broad awareness campaigns for the public and civil society on the importance of tourism for all as a human right and an economic driver.

Expected Impact of the Program

• Economic: Opening new markets and attracting family tourism that includes a person with a disability, thereby boosting tourism revenues and extending visitor stays.
• Social: Strengthening the sense of inclusion and full citizenship for persons with disabilities, and presenting Lebanon as a socially advanced nation.
• Shifting perceptions: Transforming the view of disability from a matter of “charity” to one of “rights and design.”

In short, the Inclusive Tourism Program is not a charitable project but an investment in rights and sustainable development. It aims to transform Lebanon’s tourism landscape into a welcoming, accessible destination for everyone without exception.