Lebanese tourism to Turkey sees stagnation after earthquake

This is mainly influenced by the psychological factor, which played a negative role after the earthquake, leading to a significant decline in Lebanese travelers, “as we witnessed the cancellation of several reservations to Turkey,” reported Al Markazia.   

Tourism in Lebanon was also affected. Well-informed tourism sources attributed the reasons for the decline in the Lebanese tourism movement to Turkey and the decrease in the solvency of planes to and from Lebanon to the earthquake that struck the region.   

The tourism movement is witnessing stagnation, despite the airport recording an improvement in the number of travelers by more than 35 percent in the first month of 2023.   

The total number of passengers through Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport during January reached 492,835 passengers, and the total number of flights of national, Arab, and foreign airlines that used the airport during January reached 4,490 flights.   

According to Al Markazia, the President of the Lebanese Federation for Tourism, Pierre Ashkar, confirmed that the hotel occupancy rate is almost non-existent in the mountain areas and is at most 50 percent in Beirut, attributing this situation to the complex political and economic conditions.