Ecotourism is rising as the new trend to attract visitors to Lebanon and encourage Lebanese people to discover their own country.

In February, the Ministry of Tourism launched a five-year plan to develop rural tourism in Lebanon, using a wide definition of ecotourism that covers religious, regional, agricultural, sports and traditional food tourism. In the '90s, ecotourism was the initiative of small groups and nongovernmental organizations — such as arcenciel and T.E.R.R.E. Liban — sharing their passion for the environment with local and international visitors. 

Tourism in Lebanon, since the 2006 war with Israel, has been through ups and downs, between a record 361,934 arrivals in July 2010 and the first-quarter 2014 drop with only 229,252, according to the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Finance and the Central Administration of Statistics. According to Executive Magazine’s May 2014 report, “Lebanon needs a bold new beginning in the tourism sector.”

The International Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people and involves interpretation and education."