Lebanon’s area is ranked 170th in the world (CIA, 2014). It really is smaller than the size of Connecticut, one of many smallest states in in America. Moreover, Lebanon is one of the few democratic countries in the Middle East region. Regarding its economy, Lebanon is really a free market economy and contains a very long tradition of laissez-faire economics. As well as its coastal location on the Eastern Mediterranean coast, Lebanon is recognized as the central ‘window’ of the Middle East to Europe, North Africa, and the rest of the world. For that reason, its economy has gone through some very prosperous times and was even once called the ‘Paris’ of the center East prior to the nation’s 15 year-long bloody civil war which ended in 1990.
Also, although Lebanon is tiny, it is also the most diverse nations in the world. Christians, Muslims, Druze, and other minority sects are spread all over the small nation and also Lebanon’s political system is based on sectarian power sharing.
However, this diversity had played a pivotal role in the country’s problems. This diversity was a necessary condition of the country’s sectarian civil war and currently plays a significant role in its political paralysis, although other factors (mainly foreign) are to blame as well. There is currently no acting President and the country’s rival political parties keep bickering and preventing rather than facilitating the country’s development.
Furthermore, Lebanon’s proximity to Israel has managed to get a foreign policy/proxy battleground for foreign nations, each using Lebanon for its own selfish ends.
The sad political realities of the united states have significantly hurt the country’s economy. Also, since Lebanon is a service-based economy, this specific sector has taken the largest hit.
Tourism plays a substantial role in the country’s economy. Based on the Lebanese Ministry of Economy & Trade (MOET), “Tourism is definitely one of Lebanon’s leading economic sectors” (Economic Research Unit, 2010).
Furthermore, The World Travel & Tourism Council estimated that the travel & tourism sector in Lebanon contributed over $4 billion dollars in 2013 (World Travel & Tourism Council, 2014).
The travel & tourism sector composed about 10% of the economy in 2012 but that share dropped to 9% in 2013 (ibid, p. 14). That is because of the political situation in the country as well as some other factors. Moreover, the quantity of tourist arrivals in the country kept decreasing from 2011 to 2013.
Because the tourism industry has been somewhat floundering before few years, the room for error becomes really small for businesses in this industry. The political & economic situations are squeezing tourist-related (TR) businesses in Lebanon. Because of this these businesses are forced to accomplish more to create up for increasing losses (or decreasing profits) sufficient reason for fewer resources. There is no telling once the political & economic situation in Lebanon will improve especially since the civil war in neighboring Syria shows no signs of abating.
There are many techniques Lebanese TR businesses can adapt during these times such as implementing downsizing policies and cutting back on marketing & advertising budgets. When economic recessions and a down economy affect businesses, the first things to get eliminated are usually marketing budgets. But especially since TR businesses should do more marketing to create up for lost businesses, this may not be a good idea.
One solution to this problem is to take advantage of Social Media Marketing strategies given that they cost little to no resources, perfect for the current economy in Lebanon. Social media marketing allows TR businesses to overcome obstacles of limited budgets and decreased business.
Problem Statement
During the past couple of years, the positive effect of social media on business has been extremely high (Kaplan et al., 2010; Stelzner, 2010; Treem & Leonardi, 2012, p. 143; Baker & Green, 2014).
Moreover, Facebook and Twitter fans of a particular brand are more likely to recommend and buy from these brands than non-fans (Cruz & Mendelsohn, 2011). But, we don’t need to make certain of social media’s impact on business through clinical tests. For social media users, which include over 30% of the world, this fact is known. An increasing number of businesses are inserting Social media tools to their marketing strategies and, in some instances, have even become a fundamental element of their overall business strategy.
Naturally, you might expect that Lebanese businesses would quickly adopt Social Media Marketing as a key role within their overall marketing strategies but this is not the case. In terms of the center East and especially Lebanon, the spot is far behind the West in social media marketing usage. Social Media Management agency that, when it comes to businesses involved in the tourism industry, there’s much room for growth. Little investment in technology is keeping tourist businesses away from maximizing marketing opportunities given by social media.
The Lebanese tourism industry isn’t taking advantage of social media tactics even though the benefits of doing this are apparent. This presents an excellent problem especially since the economy is going through a very rough time.
Moreover, Lebanese TR businesses and businesses in Lebanon generally are not adopting social media tools as they should. This presents a huge problem in the waste of resources and also significant missed opportunities as a more substantial target audience could be reached via social media enabling businesses that adopt social media tools gain a better potential for success and prosperity
The Impact of SOCIAL MEDIA on Tourism
