Seasonal tourist trips aboard the Cedar Waves are testing the possibility of reconnecting Lebanese cities by sea, following a route that departs from Sidon and stops at Zaitunay Bay in Beirut, then Batroun and Jounieh, before returning to the starting point in the evening.
The project combines transport and recreation in a single day, within a vision its organisers hope to expand to cover the coastline from Tripoli in the north to Tyre and Naqoura in the south, when circumstances permit. The weekend trip begins at the port of Sidon, where the vessel gradually moves away from the buildings lining the shore and passengers view the Lebanese coast from the sea rather than from the usual roads.
On the vessel’s deck, the familiar land becomes an ever-changing view as it heads north, while the passengers are accompanied by the roar of the engine and the movement of the waves instead of traffic jams and traffic lights. The trip includes four coastal stops in a single day, but the time between them is not merely a stage on the way to the next destination.
Sailing is a central part of the programme: the view of the shore, urban frontages and landmarks along the sea changes at each stage, making the sea route itself part of the tourist experience rather than an empty space separating one city from another. At Zaitunay Bay, passenger Haifa watched the coastline from the vessel’s deck and noted how different it looked from the scene she was used to seeing from land.
Describing the experience, she said: «We are used to seeing the sea from the mountain, but this time we can see the mountain from the sea». From her position in the middle of the water, the city and its landmarks appeared from a new angle as the vessel continued north. Maya, who was taking the trip for the first time, said the route made it possible to visit more than one destination in a single day without road travel taking up most of the time.
As the stops follow one another, the vessel’s movement remains part of the activity, rather than the distance between cities being treated as wasted time before arrival. Yara Awdeh said the trip brings together different coastal cities along a single route where nature, seafronts and heritage landmarks converge with the pleasure of sailing.
In this vision, Sidon, Beirut, Batroun and Jounieh become cities linked by sea, while the coastline becomes a space that brings them together rather than merely a view accompanying them from the west. Behind these trips is a project launched several months ago under the name Cedar Waves, aiming to present the sea as a component of domestic tourism in Lebanon, not merely a backdrop for beaches and resorts.
Cedar Waves expands coastal trips
Hana Abou Merhi, one of the project’s organisers, views the trips conducted during the season as interconnected stages, with the success of each experience enabling the move to a new route and the testing of additional destinations. Abou Merhi said the idea first began with international trips to nearby destinations, including Turkey and Syria, before moving to the Lebanese coast.
The local routes included trips linking Beirut with Batroun, Jounieh and Byblos, before a route between Jounieh and Sidon began operating as part of the effort to expand the experience across the coastal cities. The Jounieh–Sidon trip in September marked a key stage in the project, after the vessel arrived at the port of Sidon carrying about 280 people.
The organisers described the trip as the first of its kind between the two cities in about three decades, amid the suspension for decades of regular tourist sea trips between several Lebanese cities. As these experiences accumulated, the project’s organisers began developing a vision for a tourist sea route running along the Lebanese coast. The plan includes Tripoli in the north and Tyre and Naqoura in the south, with expansion to take place when circumstances permit.
Abou Merhi said the domestic trips had attracted significant interest and demonstrated the possibility of incorporating the coast into regular tourism activity instead of merely viewing it from land. The organisers’ aim is not limited to operating occasional trips during the season, but is directed towards making sailing a familiar activity accessible to broader groups.
We want to become used to the idea that sea trips are not exceptional or rare, but become a daily activity available to everyone, and that is our main goal
According to the organisers, this is intended to ensure that sea trips do not remain tied to an exceptional occasion or limited to people with a particular level of financial means, but gradually become a more ordinary tourism option. Abou Merhi summed up the idea as reconnecting Lebanese regions by sea in a way that combines comfort, recreation and the discovery of cities, saying: «Lebanon’s regions must be connected to one another comfortably, and by sea, because there is nothing more beautiful than the sea».
This means that the proposed route’s function would not stop at carrying passengers between two points, but would also include the experience they have while travelling. Marai Abou Merhi, the vessel’s owner, said the project seeks to introduce Lebanese people to their country from the sea and restore the coast to the domestic tourism map.
He added that the level of engagement and demand for the local trips had surprised the project’s organisers and encouraged them to consider expanding the experience in the next stages. The vessel’s owner hopes that next season’s trips will reach Naqoura, Tyre and Tripoli, covering the coast from the far north to the far south, if circumstances permit.
From seasonal trips to a coastal network
The proposed expansion represents a shift from routes linking a limited number of cities to a broader tourism network, while the trips remain seasonal at their current stage. The success of the tourism experience also raises another possibility: using the sea as part of a transport network between coastal cities.
Rafic Hassoun, the vessel’s chief officer, believes the idea could be expanded in this direction, and that linking cities by sea could help ease pressure on roads and reduce travel times, particularly during peak periods when the main roads are congested.
Nevertheless, the current model does not separate tourism from transport. The programme combines sailing with music and recreational activities so that the time passengers spend at sea is not merely a stage on the way to their destination. Under this model, the concept of a sea route expands to include enjoying the journey while travelling to the next stop.
Conditions for turning trips into regular transport
Turning seasonal trips into a regular maritime network would require factors beyond the level of demand, including adherence to fixed schedules, operating and trip costs, the readiness of ports, and safety and licensing requirements. The sustainability of any such service would also depend on the possibility of operating routes outside the tourism season. These factors will determine whether the project can move from a recreational activity to a stable means of transport.
Captain Saad Ayoub believes the trips also have a social function because they bring Lebanese people from different areas together in one space and allow them to travel and meet beyond the geographical divisions reinforced by familiar roads and destinations.
From this perspective, the trip becomes an opportunity to restore contact between regions via a route that remained outside everyday transport for a long period. In recent decades, the coast has remained present in Lebanese life as a destination for swimming, restaurants and maritime activities, rather than as a route connecting cities.
The sea reconnects Lebanese cities socially
The Cedar Waves project is seeking to test whether this equation can be changed, starting with tourism, at a time when land routes remain the only practical regular means of travel between most coastal cities. As evening approaches, the vessel returns to Sidon after passing through Beirut, Batroun and Jounieh, with the four cities transformed into successive stops on a single trip.
The project is still in its early stages, but its plan for next season lists Tyre, Naqoura and Tripoli among the potential destinations, in a step dependent on circumstances and the requirements of expanding operations along the Lebanese coast.
