Tourist numbers fall 7.8 percent in first half of year

Bookings for Fitr break promising, luxury
retail sees 50-70% drop in business

The number of tourists has dropped 7.79 percent in the first half of 2012, compared with same period last year. Visitors from Arab countries increased 6.9 percent in the same period, visitors from America went up 4.7 percent.



Tourists remain essentially from the Arab countries, particularly from Iraq and Jordan, followed by Europe and America. The drop is attributed to continuous political turmoil in Syria.

Specific areas of the country such as Bhamdoun and Aley, did benefit for a short time from tourist arrivals, but that faded away fast, said Jean Abboud, President of the Syndicate of travel agents. Most Syrians fleeing turmoil in their country tend to only transit through Lebanon, said Abboud.

A temporary tourist bureau will be set up at the border. The office will provide visitors with information on available hotels, occupancies, and prices. Around 30,000 Syrian visitors have crossed into the country in the past week.

Occupancy rates in budget hotels and furnished apartments reportedly rose in the past few days following a massive influx of Syrian families. Roger Saad, director of sales at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beirut said the first half of 2012 saw nearly 65 percent occupancy rate on average, but this started coming down at the end of May.

“For the summer season (June and July before Ramadan), we didn’t reach the same numbers as we did for last summer. A large number of our guests come from the Gulf countries and for this summer the percentage of visitors coming from this region dropped significantly,” said Saad.

Average length of stay per guest at the Four Seasons during the Eid El Fitr period is on average five nights per person. Saad said that already around 40 percent of the rooms available at the hotel have been booked for Eid El Fitr.

The retail sector witnessed a dramatic drop. Nicolas Chammas, Chairman of the Beirut Traders Association said that luxury boutiques have witnessed a drop in business of 50 to 70 percent due to the travel bans issued by some Gulf countries.

“Less than five percent of the Gulf purchasing power came to Lebanon this summer, which was reflected in every sector,” said Chammas. According to Global Blue, Emiratis, Kuwaitis, Qataris, Bahrainis, and Saudis, accounted for over 45 percent of Duty Free purchases.


“Our market is highly resilient and we’re counting on a rebound during Eid El Fitr, and Christmas… It all depends on political stability,” Chammas said

By Rana Freifer