BEIRUT, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon has long been known for its wide variety of cultural and entertaining events, luring tourists and expatriates from all over the world to its global festivals in Beiteddine, Baalbek, Jbeil, Batroun and other scenic and historic areas.
However, Lebanon may unfortunately have to reduce the number of its festivals and events in the coming years, given the economic crisis hitting the country, which prompted the government to cut down the budget allocated for the Tourism Ministry.
"Budgets allocated for all ministries have gone down and this for sure applies to the budget for festivals which has dropped from 5.75 billion Lebanese pounds (3.8 million U.S. dollars) to 3.15 billion Lebanese pounds," Lebanese Tourism Minister Avedis Guidanian told Xinhua.
Guidanian said that the number of festivals will definitely shrink because the ministry will contribute less to organizers.
Nora Jumblatt, chairperson of Beiteddine Art Festival, told Xinhua that subsidies paid by the government for festivals have dropped which will eventually translate into a drop in the number of performances in the near future.
"We do have faithful sponsors who are paying for our special performances at Beiteddine for the time being but sponsors have become timid nowadays due to the economic crisis prevailing the country," she said.
Jumblatt said that festival organizers will have to reduce the number of performances sooner or later because they won't be able to afford the high-profiled artists with their big orchestras.
She also noted that taxes imposed on festivals and the visa cost to bring artists from abroad have increased, which are likely to have a negative impact on festivals.
Festival organizers and many politicians see the events as important not only because they bring a number of tourists, but also because they can present Lebanon as a safe, stable and attractive place to visit.
Festivals also help bring more businesses to sectors such as restaurants, hotels and car rentals.
"There are plenty of academic researches showing the importance of festivals in promoting the economic well-being of counties while creating a sustainable economy. They have also proved to be very important on the Lebanese scene because they draw people together in peace culture music and happiness," Lina Tannir Fawaz, organizer of Beiteddine Art Festival, told Xinhua.
Meanwhile, Jumblatt said that festivals play a role in uniting the Lebanese and reinforcing Lebanon's role as a cultural hub in the region.
"When the festival was first established, it was amidst the Lebanese war and it came as a symbol of faith in Lebanon's role as a cultural hub for the region," she said.
While the future of festivals in Lebanon has become uncertain amid the economic crisis, Beiteddine Festival organizers seemed upbeat about the number of visitors who will attend the variety of their performances this year.
"We have definitely witnessed a decrease in our audience in the past three years due to the complicated and unstable political context in the region. But we are expecting our main public this year to be locals and Lebanese expatriates," Jumblatt said.
For her part, Fawaz noted that she has seen many Lebanese expatriates who are visiting Beiteddine Palace, the location of the festival, with their families.
Guidanian also expects Lebanon's festivals to attract this year a good audience of not only locals but also tourists this summer season.
The minister announced earlier that Lebanon is expected to receive a record number of visitors.
Beiteddine Art Festival, which extends from July 18 till August 10, is one of the leading festivals in the Middle East. It takes place in a large and magnificent 200-year-old palace in the Chouf Mountains.
Each year, in July and August, the festival presents outstanding performances by world famous stars and Lebanese artists.
Concurrent with the performances, the palace will also host several international art exhibits.
