Update: LBC news reported the news to be false saying Metropolitan hotel will deny it officially during the day. Noting that I based my post on 3 sources, Mustaqbal, Lebanonfiles and MTV, I will update it as soon as it’s confirmed it’s wrong.
Update2: Metropolitan Hotel administration denied the news officially. That’s good news for a change.
Lebanon’s tourism season is the worst we’ve had since 1974 according to some reports as Hotels have cancelled around 50% of their bookings after the Achrafieh bombing and the recent events in Lebanon and Syria. Buddha bar shutdown its doors a week ago and Hilton Beirut Metropolitan Palace is closing down as well. I was told another big hotel will be closing down very soon as well.
The economic situation as a whole is no better and Lebanon’s Economic Committees are describing it as a disastrous one. Given those facts, I keep wondering why no measures are taken to help those hotels and businesses such as lowering the absurdly high rental prices in Beirut and even outside it. I only ask the Minister of Tourism to stop living in lalaland and realize how serious this problem is.
Buddha Bar Beirut
Check out what he had to say about the tourism season back in June:
Lebanon’s tourism minister said the crucial summer tourism season would not be badly damaged by growing domestic unrest and turmoil in neighbouring Syria, and forecast revenues this year of about $7 billion, similar to last year.
Fadi Abboud shrugged off concern that tourism could take a heavy hit and said he expected 1.8 million visitors this year, despite an almost complete absence of overland travelers. [Link]
I know it’s not his fault and the situation as a whole is messed up but he needs to take drastic measures to save whatever is left because there are hundreds of families at stake. If there’s a crisis, let’s accept that fact and handle it as such.