I was having dinner at a new Taco place in Beirut and the owner was complaining about the slow business. As an American, he thought that the low turnout was due to the fact that Lebanese aren’t used to authentic Tacos. I thought his Tacos were amazing but his marketing was lame. He hadn’t been reviewed by any blogger. As I ran a quick search on Google and showed him the negative results on my phone, he looked at me with disbelief… “Are you serious? But my Tacos are awesome! Is that what it takes to attract customers… a blog post?

I don’t speak marketing but I speak Lebanese… fluently and I know the drill. First, a hip blogger writes a post about a place. Followers share and tag and the next thing you know, that place quickly becomes the talk of the town. Instagram pictures follow and the place is quickly flooded with customers.

I left the Taco place thinking about how easily we are manipulated and influenced… but I was sure that in few weeks, this taco place will become a hit. I came home and browsed through the many photos of friends and acquaintances on social media…  and here it was: the screaming proof of my marketing theory. Most of the folks were spending their summer at the same place or doing the same activities… Five destinations, previously unknown to visitor’s have suddenly become “the place to be” this summer!

1-     Sour beach: Five years ago, when I used to drive 2 hours down the southern coast to go to Sour, to enjoy the peaceful and sandy beach and the moderately-polluted water (because there isn’t such a thing as an unpolluted water in Lebanon of course), my sister would call me "crazy". Throughout the years, and the more she saw pictures of Cloud 59 posted on her friends’ profiles, the place finally stirred her attention. Her opinion of me didn't change though but she was now interested in going to Sour... I still had to answer questions like "how safe is it" and "are there toilets" and "is it clean" - unsurprising questions for the civil war generation that has rarely travelled to the rest of the tiny country and interacted with communities from completely different backgrounds.

2-     The Rabbits Island: A year ago, a famous blogger produced a video about the hidden gems of Tripoli. Soon after, dozens of bloggers inundated the web with blog posts about their visits to the old city. Suddenly, Tripoli became a hit. The overwhelming poverty and the visible scars of the recent war made it "exotic" and attractive for people from a higher social class, who probably were seeking such opportunities to feel even wealthier... It's actually good for the ego... Tours were quickly organized to different parts of the city, the latest addition was to the Rabbits’ Island and it's a sellout! Since when boarding a rickety fishing boat to go sit on a deserted island became so fancy? I wonder!

3-     Anfeh: I am not fond of mural painting. I always felt that such investments are a waste of money and resources. But it seems that I have underestimated the power of paint. It is puzzling how a couple of small white painted houses with blue wooden shutters and scattered windmills can turn an area into a top attraction. And to increase its appeal, people started to call this Lebanese replica of Santorini: Anforini!

4-     The Festivals: Attending a festival is a must for people who want to look cultured. It’s just a Lebanese way to brag regardless of your level of interest in the arts. At a recent concert and in the middle of the performance, one of the attendees who was sitting behind me couldn’t even recognize the singer. She didn’t know her name or any of the songs. She spent the entire concert making fun of the artist’s dress instead. Another attendee was mesmerized by the Iraqi singer’s performance that he had to throw an incredibly racist comment: “His voice is amazing, but he is Iraqi”… because only Lebanese artists are supposed to have nice voices I assume.

5-     The Greek Islands: There is a French saying that says “One’s misfortune makes the happiness of others”. Schadenfreude! As Greece’s economic turmoil goes on, the number of Lebanese who are visiting the Greek Islands this summer is impressive. It seems that the Greek government, in a step to boost the tourism industry, has eased the visa policy procedures for Lebanese. Given how challenging it is for Lebanese passport holders to get a visa to Schengen area, Lebanese who can afford the trip have boarded the first plane and cruised the Greek Islands. The less privileged however, can always go on a spin to Anforini instead! With the Jounieh highway traffic jam, getting to Anfeh will take them the same amount of time as flying to Santorini… (and yes someone already made the joke, but both trips will almost be at the same cost!)