Jeita Grotto to reopen July 15 after eight-month closure

BEIRUT — The Jeita Grotto, an iconic natural landmark in Lebanon that has been closed since November 2024, will reopen to visitors on July 15, the Tourism Ministry and the Jeita Municipality (Kesrouan district) announced Monday in a joint statement.

The reopening follows "an amicable agreement" reached between the two parties after "sustained efforts," and comes as the municipality begins maintenance and restoration work on the site’s facilities, including the cable car linking the entrance to the grotto.

Last month, the Tourism Ministry said its legal studies department had drafted a consensus contract in agreement with the Jeita Municipality, based on the fifth paragraph of Article 46 of the Public Procurement Law. The arrangement allows the municipality to temporarily manage and operate the site.

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An official inauguration is scheduled for July 21, under the patronage of President Joseph Aoun, who will be represented at the event alongside Tourism Minister Laura al-Khazen Lahoud.

Authorities emphasized that the reopening underscores the importance of the Jeita Grotto as a "national tourist landmark and natural treasure."

The grotto has been closed since the death of Nabil Haddad, CEO of MAPAS-Liban, in November 2024. The site had been managed by MAPAS, a subsidiary of a German company, since 1993. Although its last contract expired in 2022, the agreement had been exceptionally extended due to the government's inability to launch a new tender amid the country's economic crisis. Haddad's death forced the state to reconsider the site's management.

In recent months, numerous media outlets have criticized the delay in decision-making and the prolonged closure of the site.