The PDA navigation guide fully utilizes the power of ICT to increase the competitiveness of rural tourism by encouraging tourists discover landmarks and natural beauty hidden in rural and remote areas of Lebanon. The PDA Guide to tourism provides hand held digitized maps of Lebanon with directions and guidance to over 11,000 Points of Interests across Lebanon.

Upon launching the new GPS enabled portable guide to tourism in Lebanon, USAID / IESC, in collaboration with Federation of Touristic Syndicates, will distribute 70 PDA Navigation Guides to select tourism establishments in order to loan and distribute, free of charge, to tourists visiting Lebanon.

Independent tourists visiting Lebanon can use the GPS functionality integrated within the PDA Guide to easily find their location / position and never get lost. The tourists can use the route planner and search functionalities in the PDA Guide in order to get easy-to-follow street by street navigation that helps tourists quickly reach their destination. The tourists can search for any particular location by name or by type of attraction / business, get a map view, and get the best route to reach that location. The tourist can choose any site to access among the more than 11,000 points of interests digitized and easily accessible in the palm of their hands.

Increasing access to eco-tourism in Lebanon What is of eco-tourism? 'Eco-tourism is defined as Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people' as defined by the International Ecotourism Society.

Lebanon's rural eco-tourism sites represent a great tourism attraction for international tourists visiting Lebanon. In the last few years, across many countries, the international tourists have increased their interests in discovering rural eco-tourism sites. Lebanon is a country that is naturally blessed by having many tourism and eco-tourism sites of great diversity.

The PDA Navigation Guide will help tourists access the many attractive tourism sites hidden in remote and rural areas of Lebanon. In addition to helping tourists find undiscovered eco-tourism sites, the PDA Guide will help tourists access the rural businesses operating in the vicinity of the eco-tourism site.

Once at the touristic attraction, the tourists can use the nearby search module in the PDA Guide in order to find all the nearby businesses. As a result of the increased visibility to tourists, the tourism establishments and the small businesses operating in rural communities will gain additional sources of income, helping them attain sustainable operations.