Pierre Achkar warns Iran-Israel war threatens Lebanon’s summer season

Pierre Achkar, the President of the Lebanese Hotel Association, said the war between Iran and Israel is already casting a shadow over Lebanon’s tourism sector.

In a statement, Achkar said the closure of regional airspace and the cancellation of incoming flights have begun to take a toll, adding that the aviation sector is facing growing disruption and chaos.

“Wars are the enemy of tourism,” he said. “Any conflict has the potential to wipe out an entire tourist season.”

Achkar noted that hotel reservations and planned visits to Lebanon are being canceled at an alarming rate. Just weeks ago, indicators for the summer season were highly optimistic, he said, but now the outlook across the entire tourism industry has turned bleak.

He warned that the ripple effects of the conflict will not be limited to tourism but will hit other sectors and the broader Lebanese economy.
“We’re hoping for a miracle to end the war between Iran and Israel,” he said. “If the conflict ends soon and some kind of agreement is reached, Lebanon might be able to recover some losses and salvage part of the season. But if the war drags on, the impact on Lebanon will be unquestionably negative.”