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The touristic season is expected to generate nearly USD 7.4 billion, caretaker Tourism Minister Walid Nassar told This is Beirut.
Lebanon is betting on tourism to mitigate, as much as possible, the impact of the political, economic and financial crises on all aspects of life in the country.
The summer looks promising, with bookings exceeding expectations. Flights to Lebanon are “sold out.” Hotel occupancy rates are hovering around 85 percent. This figure jumps to 100 percent for guest houses. Tourism professionals are expecting an excellent 2023 summer season.
Caretaker Tourism Minister Walid Nassar assures This is Beirut that the 2023 summer season promises to be “even more promising than last year’s.” He added: “We expect to receive at least as many travellers as last summer, meaning around 1.7 million, 25 percent of whom will be foreigners and 75 percent Lebanese expatriates.”
In Nassar’s opinion, the revenue generated by this flow of visitors should be higher than last year’s or, “in the worst-case scenario,” it would be the same, meaning USD 7.4 billion net. This figure was USD 3.5 billion for the 2022 summer season alone, compared to USD 1.2 billion in the summer of 2021.
The expected 25 percent of tourists come from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and the Gulf states. Nevertheless, the percentage of Europeans coming to discover Lebanon is on the rise, although Nassar is unable to give precise figures.
Jean Abboud, head of the travel agency owners’ union, told This is Beirut that “flights to Lebanon have been fully booked since July 1.”
“The national airline MEA has added flights and inaugurated new routes, including one from Madrid to Beirut. The Spanish capital is a transit point between South America and Lebanon,” he added.
“The majority of travelers are Lebanese, but the proportion of foreigners, Europeans and Arabs, has increased compared to last year,” stresses Abboud, adding that he hopes that, with the political detente in the region, tourists from the Gulf will return to Lebanon.
Hotel occupancy rates vary between 40 percent and 50 percent on weekdays, while during weekends (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday), they jump to 80 percent, or even 85 percent on average. However, some hotels are running at 100 percent, such as guesthouses, which have small capacities thus fill up quickly.
However, Pierre Achkar, head of the Lebanese Hoteliers’ Union, points out to This is Beirut that hotel booking figures are not representative: “We have the reservation rate of foreigners who plan their vacations in advance. Lebanese expatriates and locals often book at the last minute. Given that these make up the majority, this means that hotel occupancy rates for the summer season could be even higher.”
