'Love you in your madness': Crisis-hit Lebanon promotes new slogan to attract tourists

Amid economic meltdown, Lebanon has endorsed a new catchphrase slogan aimed to portray precarity of life. On Thursday, Lebanon Tourism Minister Walid Nassar announced the new slogan in Persian which roughly translates to "I love you in your madness", to promote the "touristic identity" of the country. The announcement was made in a news conference with several other senior ministers in Beirut, the Guardian reported.

The slogan, developed by Dubai-based advertising company TBWA, was draft cost-free for Lebanon, Nassar said during the conference. The catchphrase is a part of a song by Lebanese star singer Fairuz, which was released before the outbreak of Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war. The lyrics hark back to Lebanon's rich cultural heritage. The catchphrase will be displayed on Lebanese national air carrier and all social media campaigns, TBWA chief creative officer Walid Kanaan said at the conference, The Guardian reported. While unveiling the slogan, Kanaan also read the prefix lyrics, which goes,

“This is our country, a crazy country, crazy in its nightlife, crazy in its food and generosity. And no matter how crazy the situation in Lebanon is, we can only say, ‘we love you in your madness’."

New slogan sparks debate; PM Mikati unimpressed

The new tourism slogan announced by Nassar has sparked a fair share of discomfort among netizens. The catchphrase also left Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati unimpressed. "If the ministers allow, 'in your madness we love you' - Lebanon is not mad … maybe the way it was managed led to that", he said, as reported by The Guardian.

Twitteratis also criticised the move of attributing "madness" to Lebanon, calling it futile and unwelcoming for its own citizens, let alone tourists. Author of The Price of Paradise Iain Overton also called out the slogan as "not the best" to have under any circumstance. On the other hand, while some called the slogan a "marketing failure", many were left enraged as the slogan attached a subtle "negative" to the country and its people.

Lebanon is still reeling under political instability compounded with the COVID-19 pandemic and suffering financial instability after a massive explosion last year mulled down a large part of its capital city. The blast killed 215 and relocated thousands. The subsequent events have sharply brought down revenue from Lebanon's tourism sector, which is a major component of the country's economy. As per Lebanon's former tourism minister, as quoted by The Guardian, some 2 million tourists visited the country in 2018. The number fell to a few hundred thousand in 2020, recent media reports suggested.

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