The Effective Valorization of Resources for the Economic Development of Tyre

: The main topic of this project is to assess the current situation of tourism in Tyre and to identify and interpret the reasons behind the failure or success of the tourism industry in the area. The main problem that Tyre is facing is the ineffective use of assets, wrong ingrained principles and the weaknesses in human capital. In order to analyze the situation, we conducted a study through a quantitative descriptive approach and used questionnaires and interviews as data collection methods. Results showed that sustainable tourism development in Tyre is contingent due to the presence of all necessary resources (following Mitrut, & Constantin, 2008; Shunnaq et al., 2008). However, Tyre lacks proper administrative management and organization of its scarce resources. All results emphasized on the importance of human capital in the development of any tourist destination.


Introduction
Tourism has become one of the major industries that contribute directly to a country's GDP. However, just like any other industry, tourism components should be well valorized and conserved for an effective development (e..g. Mitrut, & Constantin, 2008). Valorization of resources literally means "adding value" to raw materials. In tourism, this implies the efficient and effective use of resources (natural, man-built…) for optimal economic benefits as well as minimal negative impacts on environment and society. Tyre is one of the Lebanese cities that are abundant with necessary resources for tourism development (c.f. Mitrut, & Constantin, 2008). However, this can only happen when the factors of developments are studied, managed, organized and used in the proper way.

Research Problem:
The success or failure of tourism in Tyre relies greatly on the conception and utilization of tourism players of local resources as well as their attempts for development of tourism activities. The study helps in assessing the current situation of Tyre and in highlighting the weaknesses as well as providing alternatives and ways to make better use of resources.

Tyre And Its Inventory Of Resources
Historically, Tyre 1 was an important Phoenician kingdom. It controlled maritime trade, and caused the spreading religion in the ancient world, throughout its history in the Iron Age (Bellos, 2017(Bellos, -2018. The city originally consisted one of two distinct urban centers, Tyre itself, which was on an island just off shore (Surru), and the associated settlement of Ushu 2 on the adjacent mainland (Carayon, 2008). It was noted that Alexander the Great connected the island to the mainland by constructing an artificial mole during his siege of the city, demolishing the old city to reuse its cut stone (c.f. Sader, 2016-17). Many civilizations successively settled in Tyre from Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans to Crusaders and Ottoman Turks. The city was inscribed as a world heritage site in 1984 (Grace Homsy, personal communication).
Just as it was located since its foundation in the Early Bronze Age, its location stayed the same today (c.f. Al Sawi., 2018). This Lebanese coastal city acts today as the major district of the south province. It is directly located on 1 Romanized as Sour 2 Ushu was an ancient mainland city that supplied the city with water, supplies and burial grounds, as it is common knowledge that scholars believe today it lies underneath Tell Rachidiyeh. (c.f. Bellos, 2017-2018) 3a Source: http://www.discoverlebanon.com/en/panoramic_views/majo r-industries.php the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Today, there are still many valuable remains mainly from the Roman era. Tyre is the fourth largest city in Lebanon and has the largest sandy beach in the country, known as The Tyre Coast Nature Reserve (Al Sawi., 2018).
The Lebanese economy is based on several industries, the major ones being banking, tourism, food processing, jewelry, cement, textiles, mineral and chemical product, wood and furniture products, and metal fabrication (Al Sawi, 2018). Despite the political crises, tourism was and still is the major source of revenue to Lebanon. The diverse atmosphere and ancient history make Lebanon a paramount destination. Although Lebanon has been facing major issues affecting its economic structure, it is slowly rebuilding itself. Lebanon offers plenty of tourism resources and culture diversity from roman ruins, castles, caves, historical churches and mosques, beaches, natural reserves, nightlife to its spectacular cuisine. Tyre itself has a handful of resources that contribute directly to national tourism product. Based on its tourism potentials, Tyre is not far from playing a considerable role in supporting the overall Lebanese economy.
On the other flip, banking is one of Lebanon's most successful industries contributing in more than 6% of the national GDP 3a . Today Tyre has 10 banks (Table 1), over an area that doesn't exceed 4 km², which are mostly active in trade finance, project finance and private banking.
The diverse resources available in Tyre give rise to tourism practices in the area. Tourism-linked resources of Tyre are divided into 2 categories: natural and man-made resources. By tourism-inked we mean resources that directly and indirectly aid in the development of the tourism sector of Tyre (Mitrut, & Constantin, 2008). In general, natural resources occur naturally within the environment, without any human intervention. They include: climate, landscape and fauna and flora (e.g. Grynspan, 2012). Broadly, natural resources consist of the geographical location, topography, landscape, flora and fauna, and weather and climate (c.f. Grynspan, 2012). Constantin, 2008). On the down side, not all universities hold hospitality and tourism studies in their programs. The Lebanese University, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management, was opened in Tyre until 2012. As for vocational schools, they provide the required knowledge for students, which helps them get in the working field faster because career schools take less time than universities to complete a specific study. Moreover, those schools emphasize their teaching and training on practical skills to enhance the student ability to perform. Table 2 shows the lost of educational institutions found in tyre. The superstructure of a destination includes the facilities that have been developed to respond to visitors needs and wants. Superstructure includes: hotels, restaurants, car rental, conference centers, recreation and entertainment 5 Human beings form association to fulfill their aims and objectives. Along with this they form some rules, regulations and procedures which are known as institution. 6 House facilities. Technology and information systems are key components of the superstructure. Technology indicates aircrafts, telecommunication and computer-related matters whereas information is the ability of the destination to study the market, get information about its competitors as well as having the feedback on the satisfaction of visitors. For instance, there is more that six car rental companies in Tyre, the major ones being: Fares Rent A Car, EcoCar and Shoughari Rent A Car. Regarding travel agencies, Tyre has a fair share of this business. It has almost 10 travel agencies that book worlwide.
Finally, concerning the superstructure of Tyre, the last has a group of hotels (Table 3), restaurants (Table 4), travel agencies, car rental and entertainment facilities. Restaurants in Tyre are diversified, and its considered as a dynamic market. This is because, every other time a new restaurant opens. Still, the major ones are found in Table 4. Not to mention the worldwide fast food restaurant chains such as KFC, McDonald's, PizzaHut, etc. the Table 4 omitted to mention, Restaurant le Phenicien at Tyre's Harbour.

Theories of Valorization of Local Resources
The tourism industry has a vested interest in protecting the natural and cultural resources that are the core of its business (Perera, 2013 Grynspan (2012), it is believed that "natural resources necessarily play a central role in promoting sustainable development". This is understood as "meeting the needs of this generationwithout compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs". For this to be true countries need to use and manage the limited natural resources available to themefficiently, judiciously, and responsibly." said Rebeca Grynspan who is an Associate Administrator of UNDP 8a . Nevertheless, throughout the world, developing countries, with a rich resource base of pristine natural and cultural treasures, hold significant comparative advantage in their potential to attract tourists in search of authentic new experiences. (Grynspan, 2012) Many studies where made not only on the importance of tourism but also on how proper management of resources in an effective and efficient manner, can aid in the development of the local community (e.g. Mitrut

Research Methodology
Using the onion research, presented by Saunders et al. (2003 p. 83), we decided to design a survey that was used to gather data about the attitudes of the stakeholders, through unstructured questionnaires as our Data collection method. Therefore, we oppetec for a qualitative study following Saunders onion (Figure 1). This was following arguments from Mitrut, & Constantin (2008)   Data collection was conducted during the month of April from owners, managers and employees. Data collection was based on two stages: a delivery and a recollection one. If a face-to-face interview was done, we noted down what was being said. This is to minimize the time needed for data collection. The distribution stage was based on the community's location and the notable existence of tourism in Tyre region. (Saunders et al., 2003) Among the 25 distributed questionnaires, 23 were recollected with a response rate of 68% 8 . Out of the 23, 5 questionnaires were returned incomplete, hence invalid for the study. Of the 25 questionnaires, 2 were lost and not presented to us while recollecting the data. It must be noted that the period in which the distribution and recollection occurred, was during the off-peak season.  8 The questionnaire had 19 questions and some interviewees were not informed enough to answer about 6 of them. 9 Process used to collect information and data. 10a Source: Shunnaq et al., 2008.

Findings and Results
The analysis of data is a major step after completing the questionnaire, utilizing techniques liate in Saunders et al. (2003 P. 83). This allows for the inspection, transformation and modeling of data with the goal of discovering useful information, suggesting conclusions and supporting decision making. Data analysis has multiple approaches and techniques for variety of purposes. But, what comes to mind when most interviewees think of Tyre is not a single one. They believe that Tyre is remarkable for its culture, heritage, cuisine, entertainment, beach and its religious importance (c.f. Perera, 2013).
Accurate statistics on the profile of tourist is highly important for tourism success. Knowing tourists interested in your country, helps you target this market and increase tourism in the desired area. Most business owners and managers blamed the municipality for the current situation of tourism in Tyre, regardless of whether they have a positive or negative assessment of the tourism industry in Tyre (e.g. Horst, 2009). Respondents claimed that the municipality lacks the power, policies and operational plan to conduct the most suitable tourism development plan (Mitrut, & Constantin, 2008

Conclusions and Recommendations
The effective and efficient use of resources for the well being of the society and the increasing number of visitors relies greatly on developing a strategy. The development of a strategic tourism plan 10a for a destination is an articulation of the strategic priorities and direction that have been identified by stakeholders for the planning, development, management and marketing of a region (Mitrut, & Constantin, 2008;Li, 2013 A strategic plan for destination management is essential for the long-term success and sustainability of a destination. Strategic destination planning is a cyclical process that requires ongoing monitoring and review and the flexibility to adapt to changing conditions. The lack of a strategic plan is a major issue concerning the tourism industry in Lebanon and precisely in Tyre, resulting in loss of resources, cash flow issues and unproductive employees. Still, a lot can be done with what is at hand. The coast development is a must. Tyre can not only rely on the summer tents regardless of the fact that they ensure income for over 300 families and employment (Mitrut, & Constantin, 2008 Regarding the unutilized non purpose built attractions (ruins); local authorities should fund planning for their optimal use for generating traffic and income to the area. A trail can be developed linking all the historical and cultural attractions of Tyre (Perera, 2013). School and college groups as well as visiting families can be a suitable market for wanting trails. Signboards and directions should be clear enough to let tourist and locals wander on their own to explore Tyre. Moreover shuttle services can be adapted to aid not only in transporting tourist but also for minimizing the negative impacts on the environment.
Marketing is a must in a successful tourist destination. The tourism marketing is the application of the principles and techniques of marketing to the general field of tourism.
Marketing is a part of the strategic plan of a destination, it includes: market research, identifying target market, and developing the marketing mix. Marketing in Tyre is kept minimal with its advantages being ignored. Effective marketing keeps the destination on the "places to go to" list. And the local authorities are not making use of this, and again funding is the main obstacle.
A successful destination management plan is illustrated here-under the following chart ( Figure 2): Seasonality has become one of the features of the tourism industry. It refers to the existence of unevenness and fluctuation of visitor numbers during the course of the year. Seasonality 10 can be primarily caused by natural factors or 10 Source:http://www.academia.edu/8670280/SEASONALIT Y_IN_TOURISM_causes_implications_and_strategies institutional factors. And Tyre is affected by both. However, any successful tourist destination plan should aim for minimizing the undesirable effects of seasonality. Following the arguments of Ping (2013), winter is the low season of Tyre, where stakeholders and decision makers should target domestic visitors and follow the price differential strategy utilizing sales promotions or other marketing strategies.

Destination Management Planning
Analyze the global operating environment Awareness is still a major issue affecting the success of tourism in an area. When people are unaware of the benefits of something, they will do absolutely nothing to keep the good things flowing. Most of the results found in the questionnaire and based on personal observations; testify to lack of awareness and poor understanding of the importance of tourism and the things that contribute to a successful tourism sector. This will lead to undesirable impacts on the environment and on the society.
According to Perera (2013), building cultural awareness is the cornerstone for an effective tourism industry and it can be attained by improving education, public awareness and involvement through: (1) Encouraging the involvement of local community, schools and other stakeholders in education and training programs, as Ping Li suggested.