Rebranding Libya: We’re Eco-Friendly!

Travel Blog  •  Julia Ross  •  09.12.07 | 4:25 PM ET

imageTalk about rebranding. In a surprise move earlier this week, Libya rolled out a plan to transform a swath of its Mediterranean coast into the “world’s largest sustainable region.” British architect Norman Foster has been brought in to design three “green” luxury hotels near the ancient ruins of Cyrene, while additional initiatives in the Green Mountain region will focus on archaeological conservation, eco-tourism and production of organic food and drink.

Today’s Guardian reports that the Libyan government signaled its commitment to the eco-friendly resort by pledging 1.5 billion pounds. But observers are wondering whether the initiative, helmed by Saif al-Islam Gaddafi (Muammar Gaddafi’s son), will actually come to pass.

“It was a declaration that Libya are [sic] now more interested in saving the planet than bankrolling terrorists, and that one day soon the Green Mountain region would be a very nice place to come on holiday,” reports the Guardian. “It would be a bizarre irony if Libya’s international exile and lack of development in previous decades enabled it to steal a march on the pack and become an ecological model for the world.”

Related on World Hum:
* Journey to Libya
* Singapore: Brand That Nation!

Photo of Tripoli by StartAgain via Flickr, (Creative Commons).