The Middle East Program of the Woodrow Wilson Center and the Lebanese Information Center

Mr. Joseph G. Sarkis has served as the Minister of Tourism since July 2005. He also served as Acting Minister of Agriculture (Dec. 2006 - April 2007). He has been the chairman of the Arab Ministerial Council of Tourism in the League of Arab State since April 2007. Mr. Sarkis is a member of the Executive Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). During the reconstruction period in Lebanon he served as a member of the City Council of Beirut (1998-2004). Furthermore, he has been an active member of the Political Bureau of the Lebanese Forces (LF) Party since 1992. Mr. Sarkis also served as the General Manager of La Touristique sal, a leading bank specializing in the development of industry and tourism from 1982-1991. He has worked as a site engineer on several major projects in Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Lebanon. He received a degree in Engineering from the Ecole Supérieure d'Ingénieurs de Beyrouth (ESIB) in 1972.