The Libyan desert could become the next top tourist spot. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied
Libyan tourist authorities want it to become tourist hot spot Ancient ruins and Tripoli "paradise" for history buffs Country has five UNESCO World Heritage sites
IT may have endured more than 40 years of sheer bloody terror and dictatorship, but a Libyan tourist organisation reckons the country has what it takes to be the next top tourist spot.
With more than 2000km of palm-fringed coastline and an historic quarter in Tripoli, the Libyan Society for the Activation of Tourism reckons the country has a lot to offer adventurers.
Adel Belhaj of the Libyan Society for the Activation of Tourism said his country was filled with ancient ruins which made it a "paradise" for history buffs.
And with Muammar Gaddafi’s rule over, authorities are hoping the country will emerge as a safer destination for tourists.
Libyans endured years of isolation under Gaddafi, whose support for acts of terrorism, including the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, earned the country sanctions and few allies.
Leptis Magna
The ancient ampittheatre at Leptis Magna, which is just an hour from Tripoli. Picture: David Gunn/Wikicommons Source: Supplied
Gaddafi was killed in a rebellion against last October and the country has held an election with many hoping democracy will bring the tourists pouring in.
Libya has five UNESCO World Heritage sites including a well preserved Roman amphitheatre in Leptus Magna, regarded as the best in North Africa, while Tripoli oozes history.
Mr Belhaj told USA Today "Libya has all it takes to become a vacation paradise" while American tourist Jo Rawlins Gilbert said he “did not feel the least bit unsafe during his recent visit there.
But the country still faces massive security issues, with a tourism boom unlikely to happen anytime soon.
More than a hundred people were killed in clashes just last month, and Tripoli's international airport was seized by an armed group and held for several hours.
Source: A day in the life of a wizard
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