560 hotels close in Lebanon amid COVID-19 outbreak, financial crisis
Beirut/Xinhua: A total of 560 hotels shut down in Lebanon due to the absence of tourists given the COVID-19 outbreak worldwide, Elnashra, online independent newspaper, reported on Friday.
Pierre Ashkar, president of the Syndicate of Hotel Owners in Lebanon, said that "we did not witness any reservations by Gulf tourists who constitute the most important component for the success of the tourism sector in Lebanon."
Ashkar added that the European Union closed its doors facing tourists from Lebanon due to COVID-19 outbreak, which means that European tourists will not visit Lebanon.
"We were capable of generating 8.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2009 and 9.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2010," he said.
Lebanon's hotel sector is suffering from an unprecedented crisis ever since the start of nationwide protests in Oct last year.
The spread of COVID-19 in Lebanon and worldwide has made things even worse.
Hotels in the country have witnessed zero percent occupancy, forcing several big hotels to shut down, including al-Habtoor, Monroe, and the renowned Le Bristol's Hotel.
Tourism institutions have previously asked the government for facilities including exemption from taxes, payment of loans and electricity bills to be able to continue their operations.
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