Mada awareness-raising on solidarity tourism at the Saint Joseph University

A number of medical students at the Saint Joseph medical school organised, with the support of Mada association, an awareness-raising day on the concept of solidarity tourism in Lebanon.  The activity was undertaken with the participation of the Deir al-Ahmar Women’s League – Bekaa who used this opportunity to promote their products.
In an interview with L'Orient le Jour, Cynthia Abou Zeid, one of the event's organisers, noted that solidarity tourism is a behavior and is an alternative to traditional tourism which excludes rural areas and their residents and does not take environment into consideration.  Abou Zeid had herself attended a training course organised by Mada and which extended over 12 sessions focusing on the importance of environmental preservation and the concept of sustainable development.  Christian Abi Nader noted for his part that environmental tourism builds bridges amongst all communities in Lebanon and supports rural communities and encourages them to stay in rural areas. Jihan Jomaa noted that these training workshops have provided an opportunity to get to know women from Deir al-Ahmar who were able to set up eco-lodges and who are producing traditional food products so as to contribute to the local economy.

Source: L’Orient Le Jour 3 June 2013