Tourism bets on bookings

Flights to Lebanon from major destinations, including London, Paris, Dubai, Riyadh, Jeddah, Madrid and Athens, are fully booked for the Christmas and New Year holidays. There are hopes that visitors will give the markets a boost, although they will stay for no more than two weeks and more than 90% of them own homes in Lebanon. Pierre Ashkar, head of the Hotel Owners’ Syndicate, said hotel occupancy outside Beirut was no higher than 5%, compared with 30% to 60% at hotels in the capital. There, bookings were often linked to business and official delegations rather than tourism. Ashkar expects the ski season to be active, citing a mountain resort that welcomed 7,000 skiers in a single day last year. He noted, however, that security lapses were a source of concern, though he did not expect them to deter expatriates from visiting Lebanon.

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