Financed by the USAID (along with the Ministry of Tourism, the Cultural and social development association, SRI International, and the Lebanese Army High Command), a new site for Lebanese maps and interactive plans was launched on Wednesday November 7: Lebanonmaps. net is the first maps search engine in the Arab world.

Just like Mapquest or Google Earth, this site indicates the itineraries for 15,000 popular destinations in Lebanon. Lebanonmaps also allows visitors to draw plans and edit itineraries in all the country. Moreover, it mentions estimated distances and durations of the journey.

The IMNA (Cultural and social development Association) said in a press release that this data is the first of its kind in the region, and that it is a good example of collaboration between international organizations, national NGOs, and public and private sectors.

The ministry of Tourism relies on Lebanonmaps.net to open Lebanon more and more to foreign and regional visitors. The creators of this search engine wish they could attract tourists and introduce them to the most undeveloped and rural regions in Lebanon. Interactive maps can also include photos and descriptions of the tourism sites. This tool should compensate a serious lack of information, communication and distribution that negatively affect tourism in the Land of the Cedars.