The disruption or cancellation of Beirut-bound regular flights, which had stranded hundreds of Lebanese in Egypt’s Sharm el Sheikh resort due to the escalating confrontation between Iran and Israel, discouraged many from taking summer breaks outside Lebanon.
Travel agencies are bracing for significant losses with the increasing number of cancellations of outbound tourism, a vital source of revenue during the summer season.
In a statement to Leb Economy, the president of Lebanon’s Travel Agencies Syndicate, Jean Abboud, sounded the alarm: “We are facing a major crisis in outbound travel bookings. All charter flights, especially those to Turkey and Sharm el-Sheikh, have been halted. At this stage, no one is planning leisure travel abroad.”
Abboud explained that travel agencies are feeling the impact of trip cancellations abroad far more than the drop in tourist arrivals to Lebanon. According to him, between 30% and 40% of bookings for July and August have already been canceled, and the situation could worsen: “The closer we get to the intended travel dates, the more cancellations we’re seeing,” he warned.
Abboud concluded by stressing that unless regional tensions ease quickly and tangible solutions are found, Lebanese travel agencies risk losing the entire outbound tourism season.
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