Tourism Minister Michel Pharaon Monday said he expected activity in the tourism sector to pick up this summer due to an improvement in the security situation, but industry officials say the failure to elect a new president might hamper the forecast momentum.

“The capability of the government to assume its responsibilities on all levels, and especially on the security front, is greater today, and this will enable us to promote Lebanon as a tourism destination,” Pharaon told The Daily Star Monday in a phone interview he gave from Rafik Hariri International Airport while in transit to attend the 2014 Arabian Travel Market exhibition in Dubai.

Source: The Daily Star