The terrace and swimming pool of a hotel in Bsharreh, in the north of Lebanon. (Credit: Philippe Hage Boutros / L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Many hotels in Lebanon have "started to close their doors" due to the decline in booking rates and the continued electricity crisis, the president of the Federation of Tourist Unions in Lebanon said Wednesday.
In a statement, Pierre Achkar stressed "the need to find a radical solution to the production of electricity by Electricité du Liban ... The outage of its power plants is a problem, even a disaster, for society and the various economic sectors, including tourism."
According to Achkar, the main reason behind hotels' decision to close down is the rising operational cost due to increased prices for fuel oil, which is used to operate private generators that compensate for power shortages. He expressed regret for "a weakening of tourism activity in Lebanon" with the coming of autumn.
"Currently, about 40 percent of hotels are occupied in Beirut while 15 percent are outside the capital," he added. These "poor rates" of occupancy are due to "instability and tensions in Lebanon" at the political and security levels.
Lebanon experienced a strong tourism season this past summer, but the sector — shaken since 2019 by the economic crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic — is struggling once again with the onset of chilly weather.
The near-total power cuts due to the lack of funds to import fuel oil to operate Electricité du Liban's power plants create a strong reliance on private generators, whose subscription fees are exorbitant.