War empties hotels and disrupts the summer season

Source: Nida Al Watan – Patricia Jallad

This is not the first time Lebanon’s hotel sector has gone through a critical phase described as a state of “clinical death.” The sector ranks first among the country’s economic sectors most affected by wars and crises. With every security setback and every support war launched by Hezbollah, tourism establishments lose the opportunity to benefit from tourism and holiday seasons, which constitute the country’s main source of hard currency inflows. Today, just a few days before Eid al-Adha, which falls on the 26th of this month, hotel bookings remain uncertain, while occupancy rates currently stand at their lowest levels, between 5% and 10%.

Like other sectors, the hotel industry has managed to adapt to the crises and wars sweeping the country. It has become accustomed to seizing opportunities to benefit from tourism seasons intermittently, depending on security conditions; much like fluctuating weather patterns, sunny one day and rainy or snowy the next. Hotel owners have even developed, as President of the Federation of Tourist Syndicates and Head of the Hotel Owners’ Syndicate Pierre Achkar told Nida Al Watan, “expertise in crisis management.”

At this time every year, hotels usually prepare for Eid al-Adha and the summer season. This year, amid war and security tensions that have persisted since last March, hotels are still preparing (albeit slowly, as they have done continuously for the past 30 years) for the summer season, hoping that conditions may improve. However, according to the current situation and ongoing security tensions, Achkar does not believe the summer season will be favorable for several reasons:

First, the increase in displacement from targeted areas.

Second, expatriates who used to come to Lebanon for vacations lasting one and a half to two months will no longer spend such extended periods in the country. Instead, they will stay only between 10 and 20 days to visit family members, provide them with financial support, and then leave.

Third, the rise in airline ticket prices. Many people who usually travel to Lebanon from Canada, Australia, and the United States will be unable to come because their financial situation will not allow them to afford the very high travel costs.

This concerns the summer season; but what about Eid al-Adha, which is only 20 days away?

Eid al-Adha season

As the Eid al-Adha holiday season approaches, usually a key period for stimulating tourism activity, bookings remain weak and uncertain amid clear hesitation among tourists and expatriates. Despite the uncertainty and escalating tensions, they are waiting for any positive shift in the security and political landscapes before deciding to travel.

In this context, Achkar stated that “the number of people who may come to Lebanon from neighboring countries during Eid al-Adha will be half the number we used to witness in previous years, when Beirut’s hotels benefited the most from visitors arriving in Lebanon. This year, Beirut will not enjoy a large share because of the heavy displacement concentrated there. Those who visit hotels and restaurants in Beirut will not be able to comfortably dine while facing the sight of displaced families in need of food and drink. Therefore, we see that other areas such as Antelias, Dbayeh, and Jounieh have benefited from this situation, with their restaurants crowded with visitors.”

Bookings

This worrying and unstable situation is casting a shadow over hotel occupancy rates, which currently range between 5% and 10%, compared to between 30% and 40% during the same period last year.

Achkar added that current hotel guests mainly consist of delegations from international institutions such as the World Bank, as well as embassy representatives and ambassadors, especially in the absence of conferences and exhibitions that would normally take place under ordinary circumstances.

Regarding Eid al-Adha bookings, Secretary-General of the Tourism Syndicates Federation Jean Beiruti told Nidaa Al-Watan that “bookings made today through travel companies cover periods of only 10 to 15 days and remain unconfirmed, as they can be canceled depending on changes in the country’s security situation. This differs from the period before the outbreak of the war, particularly after Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Lebanon in November 2025, when perceptions of Lebanon began to improve. In January, we started witnessing paid hotel bookings for May and June because expectations for the summer season were highly promising, but these bookings were canceled following the outbreak of war.”

Those coming to Lebanon during Eid al-Adha, he added, are mainly from neighboring countries such as Iraq, Egypt, and Jordan, in addition to Lebanese nationals residing in Arab countries, while stressing “the Lebanese people’s right to live in peace and to reach peace.”

He described the condition of the hotel sector at the current stage as one of “clinical death,” noting that Lebanese expatriates living abroad will still travel to Lebanon during the summer season, but not for tourism as they once did during times of peace; rather, simply to visit their families.

He further explained that “the hotel sector today faces two scenarios: if the war ends, we may still salvage part of the summer tourism season. However, if security stabilizes only after another month, for example in June, we will miss the opportunity because tourists, and even Lebanese travelers, plan their summer destinations in advance, deciding whether or not they will come to Lebanon as they once used to.”

According to Beiruti, one of the sector’s main problems lies in “energy and diesel fuel costs, especially with the global rise in fuel prices.”

Unemployment and closures

Like many institutions during wartime, some hotels (especially those located in or near areas targeted by airstrikes) have shut their doors. According to Achkar, some hotels have shifted to seasonal operations instead of remaining open year-round, allowing them to reduce operational costs and expenses. Other hotels have cut spending by closing entire floors or buildings in an attempt to survive for as long as possible.

Naturally, this has led to layoffs, at least temporarily. In this regard, Achkar said that “the number of workers employed in the hotel sector is estimated at 40,000 employees, with unemployment rates among them ranging between 30% and 40%.”

Regarding hotels that have completely closed, Achkar pointed out that “70% of the hotels stretching from Beirut Airport to southern Lebanon have shut down. Meanwhile, hotels in Mount Lebanon have become seasonal since the financial crisis, opening during the summer and closing in winter. Today, a number of those hotels that used to operate during the summer season will not open at all this year.”

The war and its repercussions, including soaring airline ticket prices, are considered the main reasons for dismissing any hope of a satisfactory tourism season. War remains the tourism sector’s greatest enemy because of the traumatic scenes it leaves in the minds of tourists, the fears it creates regarding their safety, the deterioration of security conditions, and concerns about whether they and their families will be able to return safely to their jobs abroad.