Rural Tourism Development Under Weak Governance in Lebanon: Challenges and Opportunities

Rural tourism has been regarded as a vital approach for the development of marginalized rural regions. Against the backdrop of Lebanon’s ongoing crisis, there is a significant and increasing interest in the tourism sector that can advance key SDGs by creating decent jobs, building sustainable communities, promoting responsible resource consumption, and conserving the environment. Nevertheless, the promise of this approach is endangered by the current situation of weak governance and institutional deficiencies. This paper examines the role of tourism governance in shaping the development of sustainable rural tourism in Shouf El-Souayjani, a rural area in Lebanon. The study adopts a sequential explanatory design to integrate quantitative and qualitative viewpoints, with a quantitative survey consisting of 388 respondents for collecting data, which is further enriched by 43 interviews with different stakeholders. Quantitative results indicate statistically significant relationships between governance dimensions, participation, knowledge sharing, empowerment, community knowledge, and legislative adequacy with perceived sustainability outcomes in Lebanon. Qualitative findings show major governance gaps, balanced by rural strengths like entrepreneurship and resilience. The study proposes a comprehensive governance model that highlights how a particular governance mechanism shapes rural tourism sustainability, particularly in a country affected by successive crises like Lebanon.