Forbes: Leaders In Learning - Mar 29, 2010 - Starmanship ...

lebanon2-2010:forbes 3/1/10 8:24 AM Page 12
12 LEBANON PROMOTION
Interior detail of
boutique hotel Le Gray
“We reopened on July 10, 2006, and had
two outstanding opening nights,” says
Chafic el Khazen, president of Sky
Management, the company that created Sky
Bar. “But the war with Israel started two
days later and forced us to close down.”
Sky Bar reopened in 2007, and now it regularly
attracts 2,000 people every night, says
el Khazen. His future plans include opening
new venues and remodeling Sky Bar. His
company has already launched a Sky Beach
resort and restaurant in Egypt. In Lebanon,
Sky Management plans to open a winter
club later this year and a beach club in the
summer of 2011. It is also considering the
possibility of other projects in Europe.
“By welcoming international artists to Sky
Bar, warmly greeting tourists from all over
the globe and being nominated as the
number-one bar by World’s Best Bars, we
are, in a way, trying to change the world’s
perception of Lebanon,” he says. “We are
working on spreading our culture of love
and positive energy to replace the war
image.”
El Khazen concedes, however, that
Lebanon’s turbulent history is part of the
country’s appeal. “The day we have stability,
Lebanon will lose some of its charm,”
he admits. “We live in what could be
described as organized chaos, and this is
what makes Lebanon a dynamic experience.
But there is undoubtedly one inherent trait
that we would like to be recognized for, and
that is the joie de vivre that is a common
quality in all Lebanese.”
If Sky Bar reflects the country’s latest
lifestyle trends, the Casino du Liban
“Lebanon has
become the
capital of
beauty in the
Middle East.”
represents Lebanon’s iconic reputation as
the location of the largest and most famous
gambling and theatrical venue in the
Middle East.
Situated in Jounieh, a resort town ten
miles north of Beirut, the casino, which is
celebrating its 50th anniversary, experienced
a 30% increase in its gross gaming revenues
last year for the second year running.
With an average daily attendance of some
Dr. Nader Saab
3,500 people, it is facing limits on its capacity
and has plans to expand. To cope with
the demand, the casino recruited 200 dealers
so that it could increase its gaming table
hours, but business improved so much that
it again reached its capacity and needs to
triple its space – a feat that will place it
among the largest casinos in the world.
The company’s challenge is fulfilling its
growth potential as it endeavors to become
the Las Vegas of the Middle East. In order
to improve liquidity and provide tax incentives,
the casino company is planning to be
re-listed on the Beirut Stock Exchange.
The country is also becoming a regional
hub for cosmetic surgery. “Lebanon has
become the capital of beauty in the Middle
East,” says Dr. Nader Saab, an internationally
eminent Lebanese plastic surgeon.
While the majority of the patients at his
clinic are women, more men are taking
advantage of the benefits of cosmetic treatments,
he says.
“Men have treatments in order
to look better and feel as attractive
as the women they are with,” says
Dr. Saab. He has developed
advanced nonsurgical procedures
for some cosmetic improvements,
including the rejuvenation of
hands.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Tourism
has awarded his clinic a Shield of
Honour in appreciation of its contribution
to the development of cosmetic tourism.
On top of all its other lifestyle attractions,
Lebanon offers one other noteworthy element:
significantly lower costs for services
than in many countries. “In comparison
with Europe, I think we are about 40% less
expensive for the same quality services,”
says Fadi Abboud, the country’s minister of
tourism. ❖
Meedo Tha