Cartoon by Sareen
Two four-star hotels, Acropolis and Century Park, have been recently closed in Kaslik due to low tourism.
“The hotel had financial difficulties and I was informed by the owners that it has gone out of business,” Pierre Achkar said. He added that last month saw Century Park, a 70-room Kaslik hotel, closing. Lebanon has suffered from low tourism throughout 2012. The most recent figures show the number of tourists declined by nearly 18 percent in the first 11 months of 2012, compared to 2011. Last year had already seen a sharp a decline in tourism, meaning this year’s decline stands at more than 37 percent, if compared to 2010. [DailyStar]
Great start to the Tourism Ministry’s 50-day campaign of travel packages and shopping discounts to attract tourists from the Arab world.
Leb is vey expensive ,who comes and spends here ,even the Arabs don’t like it here anymore
true , + hotel rates are super expensive and no decent 4/3 stars hotel with good Price/value ratio …
I think different niche is to be targeted here .. the Arabs are just not interested anymore they would rather go to Dubai its safer and more luxurious
Plus,Europe offers better discount rates ,the reason why here they don’t offer good Discounts even with the 50 days Discount rate ,i’m sorry Najib but im gonna say it 1st because of political instability ,2nd because as much as they advertise Leb ,it’s all fake ,pple think that Lebanon is paradise in the pics then they discover all the shit and elecricty probs ,what Saoudi would want to live here in his own appartment if they constantly cut the electricty ,the future is Dark ,it’s not all about SkyBar and Batroun ,pple know Lebanon is a big fake joke ,3rd Lebanese are the biggest thieves in the world just because they don’t have enough customers ,they put outrageous prices
Have you ever visited Baalbek?Have you used the roads that lead to it?Have you seen the neighbourhoods surrounding the temple?Did you see any decent hotel nearby?Have you observed the cleanliness(or lack of it)of the place?How can one of most spectacular monuments IN THE WORLD attract tourists in such conditions?Baalbek is just the first that comes to mind,due to its absolutely wasted potential.The same applies to most other venues.
Have you ever had a proper internet service in Lebanon?Or telephone connection?
Have you ever bought anything in Lebanon without being looked at by the sales people as if THEY were doing you a favour?
Have you ever left a restaurant in Lebanon without feeling that you’ve been ripped off?
These are a few among hundreds of other reasons why tourism has declined in Lebanon,and I refer here to foreign tourists,not fellow arabs.
As to the latter,together with lebanese expatriates that could eventually put up with such tragedies in the name of patriotism or arabism,you have to consider the CRIMINAL “free” lebanese press,which has lately specialized in creating “wonderful” scenarios of political and social stability to disencourage those last few who would risk coming to the late Switzerland of the Middle East…
And you’re wondering WHY tourism is declining…?
You’re reading the words of someone who was born and lives abroad,but had the privilege of living in Lebanon for a few of the golden pre-war years.I still return at least three times a year,although I’ve been wondering lately WHY exactly I’m doing that.
I DO NOT recognize my Lebanon as it once was anymore,especially the PEOPLE.
Wars usually enlighten and improve peoples’ spirits.In Lebanon it resulted in quite the opposite,unfortunately…
Why would they come shop here and risk dying or getting kidnapped when they can shop in their own countries where they have the same stores and bigger malls and safety and cheaper too.
Plus stores here are a bunch of thiefs during sales they increase the price of the merchandise and put the sales price the same as it was before in order to fool ppl that it was discounted. I’ve seen many shops who do that an item that costs 50.000 before the sale during sales they put a price tag 80.000 and put next to it new discounted price 50.000 so basically its the same price they did nothing. whats worse is when they put new collection on clothes theyve had for years in the store. I recently bought a shirt from zara from the new collection section next to the price tag was an old sales price tag so it was in the old sales section and than they put it in the new collection section. Or when they send u an sms saying 50% sales on all items u go to the store and find a small corner in the store with a table of shitty old pieces of rags they couldnt sell for years on sales only not all items and if u ask the very nice saleslady about why they said all items in the sms when its not she tells u no thats not what the sms said like youre retarded or stupid and cant read. This country is a joke lebanese ppl think theyre so clever but the entire world is laughing at us.
Good pple u srated talking ,nowww do that in front of the Parliament and burn the House down ,there’s no other way
But… but… you can ski in the morning and swim on the beach in the afternoon!!!
Fixed 🙂