Hospitality in inhospitable times

ENAR

As a new year approaches, Lebanon’s hospitality and tourism sector is limping along in a dismal socio-economic situation — severely sprained but not broken. According to the latest statistics from the Ministry of Tourism, the number of tourists entering the country during the first 9 months of 2013 is down by 10 percent from the same period in 2012, itself a poor year for tourism. The biggest drop in numbers was from the Gulf Cooperation Council, though there was an overall drop across all nationalities. With an unstable security situation fueled by the war in neighboring Syria, Lebanon is no longer the blossoming vacation destination it once was. While hotels are obviously the most negatively impacted sector, most other hospitality dependent ventures have suffered as well. Some areas typically frequented by tourists are almost deserted, although a few are witnessing a boom in their local market clientele. Owners of Lebanon’s