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A closure of Beirut International Airport (BEY) is feared, and negative rumors are rife. However, traffic at the airport remains normal for the season, and the percentage of cancellations is ordinary.
On Monday, reports circulated on social networks that airlines had informed the management of BEY that they would be suspending flights to and from Beirut starting at midnight. The General Directorate of Civil Aviation immediately denied this information in a press release.
The president of the travel agency owners’ union, Jean Abboud, also denied the claim, telling This Is Beirut that “no Arab or foreign airline has cancelled its flights to Lebanon because of the tensions in the south of the country.” He added: “No bookings to Lebanon have been cancelled, although caution is advised, especially in view of the possible closure of BEY.”
“So far, we haven’t recorded a large number of cancellations. It’s a normal, usual percentage. On the other hand, we have felt fear and hesitation. People who have not yet bought their tickets and who can postpone their travel are doing so.”
He reported that traffic at BEY was normal, with around 11,000 departures and 11,000 arrivals for Monday. He also assured that tourist groups are still coming in.
“Current tourist conditions are considered good,” he said, with a satisfactory off-season. Nevertheless, Abboud warned that Lebanon’s involvement in the conflict would have catastrophic consequences for the tourism sector since “vacations don’t rhyme with war.”
It is worth recalling in this context that the performance of the tourism sector in Lebanon from June to September was exceptional. Lebanon saw a steady influx of expatriate holidaymakers, but the summer was above all marked by the return of international customers. Passenger numbers were up 31% for the 2023 summer season (June, July, and August) compared with 2022. From June 1st to September 10th, around 2 million passengers arrived at BEY, 38% of them Arab, European, and other tourists. According to bookings, the number of tourists (excluding expatriates) from the beginning of January to the end of December 2023 (including the festive season) is expected to reach 2 million.
The revenue generated by this flow of visitors, according to initial assessments, is around $3.8 billion. This figure was $3.5 billion for the 2022 summer season, compared with $1.2 billion in 2021.
