Lebanon’s plea to skeptical expats: Come visit, bring cash

FILE - In this Jan. 27, 2010 file photo, a Middle East Airlines jet takes off at the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon. On Wednesday, July 1, 2020, Beirut's airport is partially reopening after a three-month shutdown. Lebanon's cash-strapped government hopes thousands of Lebanese expatriates will return for the summer, injecting badly needed dollars into the sinking economy. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

Travelers push their luggage at the departure terminal of the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, July 1, 2020. Beirut's airport is partially reopening after a three-month shutdown and Lebanon's cash-strapped government is hoping that Thousands of Lebanese expatriates will return for the summer, injecting dollars into the country's sinking economy. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

FILE - In this March 5, 2020 file photo, workers wearing protective gear spray disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus outbreak, in the departure terminal at the Rafik Hariri International Airport, in Beirut, Lebanon. On Wednesday, July 1, 2020, Beirut's airport is partially reopening after a three-month shutdown and Lebanon's cash-strapped government hopes thousands of Lebanese expatriates will return for the summer, injecting badly needed dollars into the sinking economy. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

Passengers wait in line to fill a document to undergo a PCR test at the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, July 1, 2020. Beirut's airport is partially reopening after a three-month shutdown and Lebanon's cash-strapped government is hoping that thousands of Lebanese expatriates will return for the summer, injecting dollars into the country's sinking economy. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)Hussein)

A healthcare worker takes a swab sample from a passenger who arrived at the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, July 1, 2020. Beirut's airport is partially reopening after a three-month shutdown and Lebanon's cash-strapped government is hoping that thousands of Lebanese expatriates will return for the summer, injecting dollars into the country's sinking economy. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A passenger arrives at the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, July 1, 2020. Beirut's airport is partially reopening after a three-month shutdown and Lebanon's cash-strapped government is hoping that thousands of Lebanese expatriates will return for the summer, injecting dollars into the country's sinking economy. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

FILE - In this March 9, 2020 file photo, a passenger has his temperature checked as a precaution against a new coronavirus upon his arrival at the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon. On Wednesday, July 1, 2020, Beirut's airport is partially reopening after a three-month shutdown and Lebanon's cash-strapped government hopes thousands of Lebanese expatriates will return for the summer, injecting badly needed dollars into the sinking economy. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

FILE - In this March 19, 2020 file photo, a worker pushes trollies at an empty terminal hall of the Rafik Hariri International Airport, in Beirut, Lebanon. On Wednesday, July 1, 2020, Beirut's airport is partially reopening after a three-month shutdown and Lebanon's cash-strapped government hopes thousands of Lebanese expatriates will return for the summer, injecting badly needed dollars into the sinking economy. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

Healthcare workers check the temperature of passengers at the departure terminal of the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, July 1, 2020. Beirut's airport is partially reopening after a three-month shutdown and Lebanon's cash-strapped government is hoping that Thousands of Lebanese expatriates will return for the summer, injecting dollars into the country's sinking economy. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Lebanese soldiers stand guard as a woman leaves the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, July 1, 2020. Beirut's airport is partially reopening after a three-month shutdown and Lebanon's cash-strapped government is hoping that thousands of Lebanese expatriates will return for the summer, injecting dollars into the country's sinking economy. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A Lebanese officer checks passports of travelers at the departure terminal of the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, July 1, 2020. Beirut's airport is partially reopening after a three-month shutdown and Lebanon's cash-strapped government is hoping that Thousands of Lebanese expatriates will return for the summer, injecting dollars into the country's sinking economy. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A healthcare worker adjusts the mask of a passenger who is departing the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, July 1, 2020. Beirut's airport is partially reopening after a three-month shutdown and Lebanon's cash-strapped government is hoping that thousands of Lebanese expatriates will return for the summer, injecting dollars into the country's sinking economy. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)