The head of the Federation of Tourist Syndicates, Pierre Achkar, revealed that "this year's snowfall and precipitation season did not meet expectations and was not comparable to what Lebanon experienced in previous years, which negatively impacted the revenues of tourism establishments in mountainous areas, especially hotels." He noted in a statement that "the occupancy rate in hotels in mountainous regions is 100% during weekends, and the activity in restaurants in those areas is good," considering that "things would be much better if the snow thickness were greater, as skiing enthusiasts would visit these areas and the tourism establishments throughout the week." Achkar pointed out that "owners of tourism establishments in high-altitude areas are still counting on more precipitation this year, as the residents of those areas are discussing the possibility of snowstorms hitting Lebanon in the short period ahead."
He observed that "the revenues from the tourism establishments that welcome snow lovers remain low compared to operational costs, with a significant need to heat these establishments 24 hours prior to receiving visitors due to the severe cold in those high-altitude areas, which incurs very high operational costs amidst rising fuel prices." Achkar emphasized that "given the losses incurred by tourism establishments in the current snow season, hope still relies on the season lasting longer with some additional precipitation; otherwise, if it ends early, tourism establishments will have to wait for the summer season to compensate for their losses."
