What to Consider Before Moving to Lebanon

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Fear can initially linger in your mind when you move to a new country. However, we quickly manage any anxiety by smartly adjusting to the new environment and making new friends. To live in an exciting country like Lebanon is an adventure and here’s what you need to know before you go.

Lebanon’s climate, culture, language and Lebanese people

Lebanon is a great country that allows you to live and experience another culture, learn different languages, see many famous sights, sample the local cuisine and make new friends that last a lifetime. With a Mediterranean climate, you can enjoy sunshine throughout the year. Due to its numerous mountains, Lebanon offers many stunning landscapes as well as skiing activities. Located on the Mediterranean coastal plain, Beirut is Lebanon’s capital city, the largest and most populous city and the hub for finance, commerce, industry and tourism in the country.

Having been occupied by more than 16 peoples, including the Egyptians, Alexander the Great’s Army, the Roman Empire, Byzantine, France, Israel and Syria, varied cultures and different languages were introduced in Lebanon over time. As such, Lebanon is a combination of Eastern and Western cultures. Even though many Lebanese speak French and English, Arabic is the official language. To get the best experience during your stay in Lebanon, the best thing to do is to try to learn a bit of Arabic.

The United States’ CIA World Factbook estimates that the population of Lebanon is four million in July 2013, with 60% of the population Muslim, 39% Christian, and 1.3% of different religious affiliations. As at 2010, 87% of the total population lived in urban areas. Besides Beirut, other cities such as Tripoli and Sidon are also densely populated. The Daily Star Lebanon recently reported that Beirut has surpassed Abu Dhabi as one of the least affordable metropolises in the Middle East region and is the 67^th most expensive city for expats in the world. Depending on your expatriate package, you might want to consider other cities like Ra’s Bayrūt, Tripoli, Sidon and Tyre.

Managing your finances

One of the most important things to do when you relocate is to open a current account in Lebanon to manage your finances. An advantage of living and working in Lebanon is its established banking and financial sector. In order to promote Beirut as a regional financial centre, the central bank, Banque du Liban, endorses a free exchange system and the Lebanese pound is fully convertible and can be exchanged freely with other currencies. Meanwhile, the government does not place any restriction on free flow of capital and earnings into and out of the economy. Many international banks such as HSBC and Standard Chartered have set up branches and representative offices in Lebanon to cater to the growing population, increasing number of expatriates, and local and foreign companies that plan to set up businesses in the country. What happens if you’re not relocated to Beirut? Don’t worry. Established in Lebanon in 1946, HSBC has offices in other cities such as Dora, St George’s Bay and Verdun.

A prospective sector to find jobs

The tourism sector is an important industry in Lebanon and there are prospects for growth in the industry, as reported in Asharq Al-Awsat. The ancient city of Byblos was selected as the best tourism destination in the Arab world by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation and Academy for Excellence Awards.  In an effort to attract more foreign tourists, Lebanon’s Ministry of Tourism has launched a “Taste Lebanon” campaign with a UK-based company that organises customised culinary tours that vary in duration and location according to season.

Such programmes have further boosted tourism with hotel occupancy rates rising to more than 60% compared to less than 50% before March 2013. This high occupancy rate is a good signal of improvement in the tourism industry. Another good indicator of the rise in demand for travel to Lebanon is the increase in flight services between Sharjah and Beirut by UAE-based Air Arabia. Hence, there will be plenty of job opportunities in the tourism industry. Lebanon is on the up and offers a potentially rewarding lifestyle for those with a spirit of adventure and a desire to experience something new.

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