Britain advises against all but essential travel to Lebanon

Lebanon is suffering a financial and economic meltdown which the World Bank has labelled as one of the deepest depressions of modern history

By Reuters

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Published: Tue 16 Nov 2021, 9:15 PM

Last updated: Tue 16 Nov 2021, 9:24 PM

Britain has advised against all but essential travel to Lebanon, in a new update issued on Tuesday.

Lebanon is suffering a financial and economic meltdown which the World Bank has labelled as one of the deepest depressions of modern history, compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic and a massive explosion at Beirut’s port that destroyed large parts of the city and killed more than 215 people.


“The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) now advises against all but essential travel to Lebanon, except for those areas to which the FCDO advises against all travel,” it said in a statement.

The government's website shows it advises against all travel to Palestinian refugee camps, areas within 5km of the border with Syria and the Hermel Area.


Tourism, historically a major component of Lebanon's economy, has dramatically declined since late 2019.

Lebanon's tourism minister recently unveiled a new slogan to attract travellers into the country, aiming to portray the precarity of life there as a point of pride. The phrase roughly translates as "I love you in your madness"


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