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As the tourist season approaches, it’s important to shed light on abundant misleading inaccuracies of the sector and debunk its non-existent initiatives.
The minister haphazardly throws out estimations, including 1.7 million “travelers,” with 25% of them foreigners, and boasts about 7.5 billion dollars in revenue.
Yet, categorizing these “travelers” and determining their true nature as tourists, let alone accurately measuring the generated revenue, proves to be exceedingly challenging. For instance, students returning home for vacation do not directly contribute to the monetary influx, as their expenses are usually covered by their parents.
Furthermore, in tourism, the number of overnight stays holds greater significance than the number of visitors alone. However, obtaining or accurately measuring this specific data is out of reach.
Foreign visitors mainly include Iraqis, Egyptians, Jordanians, and a smaller number of Europeans. However, industry experts recognize that these categories, particularly compared to Gulf nationals, whom we have successfully managed to put off, are not significant contributors in terms of expenditure. This is precisely why, despite the reported average room rate of just $46 per day in Beirut in 2022, as stated by Ernst & Young, the occupancy rate struggled to exceed 49%.
The second category includes expatriates who, to some extent, exhibit tourist-like behaviors as they increasingly occupy flights. Likewise, a similar model can be seen among residents who go to restaurants frequently or book week-long stays in Faraya. Unfortunately, we are unable to differentiate between these groups, even though there is a significant financial distinction, as expatriates bring fresh money into the country.
We rely on two sets of data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to assess the sector’s contribution to the national economy. Tourism makes a direct contribution through sectors like hotels, car rentals, and airlines, while also having an indirect contribution through expenditures in restaurants, shopping, taxis, etc…
Accordingly, the UNWTO provides two sets of data, with one significantly surpassing the other. In Lebanon, this division led to generating 144,000 direct jobs and an impressive 250,000 indirect jobs within the tourism sector in 2018. The remaining numbers, including revenue and contribution to the GDP, exhibit a similar proportionate pattern.
On a more positive note, there is valuable insights to enhance the tourist experience, making it more convenient, transparent, and financially rewarding.
The minister’s initiative of establishing 20 or 30 tourist offices across Lebanon proves to be futile for two reasons :
To be beneficial, these centers would need informative brochures and knowledgeable staff to provide detailed assistance, similar to France’s tourist information syndicates. Unfortunately, such resources are unavailable.
Another reason is the likelihood of government employees, as often seen, going on strikes, which would result in neglecting their responsibilities both at the ministry’s headquarters and in regional offices.
One valuable suggestion is to prioritize the establishment of a free-of-charge online platform that offers information and facilitates hotel and accommodation reservations. This platform should provide a comprehensive list of options along with detailed descriptions. By offering this alternative, visitors won’t have to rely on profit-driven platforms such as Booking.com, Trivago, or Airbnb, which often charge hefty commissions ranging from 10% to 20%. This concept can also be applied on car rentals and other tourism-related activities.
Moreover, it is imperative to enforce regulations that compel restaurants to prominently display their prices especially that the dollar is adopted as the currency of exchange. They should clearly indicate whether payment can be made in Lebanese Pounds, credit cards, or both. This would help curb the abuse of tourists.
It would also be beneficial to establish a dedicated website that offers comprehensive information on activities which would appeal to tourists, including shows, events, shopping opportunities, outdoor activities, and organized excursions. The primary goal is to motivate tourists to spend more.
It is also essential to end the monopoly of Lebanon’s flag carrier, the Middle East Airlines. Introducing charter flights and low-cost carriers, and removing flight restrictions can boost the number of visitors significantly. Lebanon should consider implementing this approach as a test, especially during peak seasons of tourism when MEA imposes excessively high fares.
