IS NOTHING NEW TO THE LEBANESE TOURISM INDUSTRY, WHICH IS DETERMINED TO ONCE AGAIN RESTORE THE COUNTRY’S RIGHTFUL PLACE ON THE GLOBAL MAP AND SHOW THE WORLD THE DESTINATION’S TRUE FACE.
In recent years, Lebanon has continued to suffer from the spillovers of regional turmoil, with tourist arrivals standing at 1.35 million in 2014, a year-on-year increase of six percent. Yet, the country remains a popular choice for Arab and European travellers, with traffic from the Middle East having accounted for 34 percent in 2014, closely followed by Europe, representing 33 percent.
“Over the past five years, Lebanon has passed through various political and security instabilities and this had, of course, significantly affected the hospitality sector in general and hotels in particular,” explained Hartmut Grauel, general manager, Coral Beirut Al Hamra Hotel, adding that besides local disturbances, travel bans from GCC as well as European countries have led to a setback in interest.
As Ihab Kanawati, general manager, Staybridge Suites Beirut, put it, when there is no demand, there is no business.
“Staybridge Suites Beirut […] is an upscale extended stay concept, whereby large percentage of our guests are long stayers. Still, this did not mitigate the negative effect of various recent circumstances,” attested Kanawati, noting that nevertheless, as a new hotel, the property has been witnessing a slow but gradual increase in demand, especially from the corporate sector.
Though Lebanon is part of a region which is facing complex and perplexing challenges, as Franck Royer, general manager, Gefinor Rotana, noted, the country has managed to avert the turmoil and maintain its position as a business destination – a segment, which according to Royer is less volatile, thus, can help sustain performance levels.
Business is in fact picking up again, corroborated Hilal Saade, director of sales and marketing, Le Gray Beirut, adding that quick recovery is the hallmark of the Lebanese tourism industry, regardless of the ever-changing circumstances.
Moderate improvement have been indeed reported by most hoteliers and service providers with Elie Nammour, managing director, Belair Travel & Tourism, reminding that arrival figures at Beirut – Rafic Hariri International Airport have remained stable, while occupancy levels at accommodation establishments have showed ups and downs over the past months, however, all in all the destination has managed to walk though all kinds of incidents and proved its willingness to develop further.
