The head of the Federation of Tourist Syndicates and the Hotel Owners Syndicate, Pierre Achkar, warned of the worsening pressures facing the tourism sector in Lebanon, revealing that the revenues of most hotels have declined by about 40%, in parallel with the decline in the number of Lebanese expatriates during the summer season by rates ranging between 30 and 40%, and the restaurant sector recorded a parallel decline.
Al-Ashqar explained, in a statement on the occasion of World Tourism Day, that the current crisis has gone beyond the usual seasonal recession to coincide with the repercussions of wars and ongoing security developments since 2023, which have greatly weakened operational activity. He pointed out that these losses in income are accompanied by an escalation in operational costs borne by tourism institutions, despite the pioneering role that the sector played in supporting the economy and steadfastness during the post-economic collapse phase.
At the global level, Al-Ashqar pointed out the great importance of tourism in the economies of countries, indicating that it constituted 9.8% of the global gross domestic product in 2025, with a value amounting to about 11.6 trillion dollars, in addition to its pivotal role in development, creating job opportunities, and bringing joy to people’s lives amid great challenges.
Al-Ashqar stressed that “wars are the first enemy of tourism,” stressing that the advancement of the sector and the restoration of its activity is exclusively linked to achieving sustainable stability and peace, especially the restriction of weapons to the Lebanese state, in implementation of its decisions and the relevant Arab and international resolutions.
Al-Ashkar concluded by stressing that providing these appropriate conditions will enable the Lebanese tourism sector to achieve qualitative achievements that place Lebanon among the most competitive tourism countries at the regional and global levels.
