At least 560 hotels in Lebanon have suspended operations amid the COVID-19 crisis and the ongoing worsening economic situation in the country, Pierre Achkar, chairman of the Lebanese Federation for Tourism and president of the Hotel Owners Association, said on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th July, 2020) At least 560 hotels in Lebanon have suspended operations amid the COVID-19 crisis and the ongoing worsening economic situation in the country, Pierre Achkar, chairman of the Lebanese Federation for Tourism and president of the Hotel Owners Association, said on Friday.
"We did not notice any reservations by Arab [nationals], especially by the Gulf residents, who are the backbone of Lebanon's tourism sector. ... The number of closed hotels has reached 560, with most part of them [completely] suspending their activities, and another part being partially closed or on their way to a lockdown. There are also dozens of hotels that have closed and did not announce it," Achkar said, as quoted by the local independent Elnashra newspaper.
Lebanese people have been banned from entering some states of the European Union over the COVID-19 outbreak, and, therefore, "it is natural that European tourists will not come to Lebanon" as well, according to Achkar.
"We have presented several requirements in the form of a tourist plan, and they are not for promoting, but for survival," Achkar noted.
Lebanon has been suffering from the worst economic crisis in 30 years, prompting ongoing mass demonstrations to break out across the country since October 2019. Along with sanctions, the country's national economy has also been affected by the recently introduced US Caesar law, targeting Lebanon's neighboring middle East partner � the Syrian government and its allies.
The COVID-19 outbreak has complicated the already fragile economic situation, causing record-low occupancy rates in the country's hotels and forcing some of them to close.
To date, the Health Ministry has confirmed 2,011 cases of the coronavirus, with 1,368 recoveries and 36 deaths.