Pierre Achkar affirms: Holiday season 'positives' won't affect hotel establishments

Pierre Achkar affirmed in a statement that the "positive" aspects of the holiday season will not affect hotel establishments, adding that "this is something confirmed by the reservation rate," considering that "it is early to speculate whether hotel occupancy will increase during Eid al-Fitr."

The President of the Lebanese Hotel Association, the Federation for Tourism Industries in Lebanon, and the National Council of Tourism in Lebanon considered that "the bigger problem today is that the Israeli war against Lebanon is expanding to include new areas like Baalbek and Hermel."

He added, "All these issues worry tourists and prevent them from visiting Lebanon."

He emphasized that "the effects of the holiday season will impact the tourism sector in general, as some sectors will see improvement with the arrival of thousands of [Lebanese] expatriates from abroad, especially the café, restaurant, and entertainment sectors."

He stressed that "hotel establishments are resilient as they have no choice but to endure, knowing that 100 percent of these establishments are partially closed after the events of October 8, when the country was in a state of war, after having witnessed significant improvement during 2023, specifically until October 7 of that year."