Libya invests in its future, thinks it will be a tourist destination after the war

With the execption of Muammar Gaddafi most people didn't know much about Libya before the Arab Spring. Its the 17th largest country in the world with 1,100 miles of coastline on the Mediterranean and a population of only 6 million people. 

The news reaching the general public out of the country hasn't very positive lately. All people are discussing is ISIS, Benghazi and the two competing governments, but there has been some progress on the ground. An army offensive in the east of the country has reduced the islamist presence to small pockets and ISIS has been almost been completely removed from the town of Sirte. While all of this has been happening on the surface, forward looking local governments and businessmen have been investing money and building all over the country especially near historical site. 

This resort opened last month near the Roman ruins of Leptis Magna:

These are the Roman Ruins:

The city of Misrata is funding a $700 million tourist city off the coast:

There are countless other examples around the country of similar projects. Libyans believe that tourists will be attracted to the nature, history and its strategic location near Europe. That remains to be seen however, perhaps after the last several years the country's reputation could be tarnished for a long time.

A Glimpse of the Libya people dont see in the news: