The President of the "Tourist Union," and head of the National Tourism Council, Pierre Achkar, stated in a press release the "urgent need to find a definitive solution to the electricity production issue by the Electricité du Liban, as the halt of the company's power plants creates a significant dilemma and indeed a disaster for the Lebanese society and various economic sectors, especially the tourism sector."
Achkar revealed that "many hotels have started closing outside of Beirut due to the high operational costs resulting from increased diesel prices and a decline in booking rates."
He pointed out the "weak tourism activity in Lebanon at the beginning of the current autumn season," noting that "the hotel occupancy rate in Beirut is currently around 40 percent and 15 percent outside of it."
Achkar deemed these rates disappointing and unfavorable for tourism establishments, attributing this situation to the atmosphere of instability and tension affecting Lebanon politically and security-wise.
He explained that the sector's main issues today stem from the collapse of the Lebanese pound’s exchange rate and the struggling operations within tourism establishments. He noted that "during the summer, a significant portion of the profits of these establishments was used to cover fuel costs (diesel), but now occupancy rates are low, leading owners to believe that it is better to close than to incur losses."
