InfoAnda - Sunny times return for Lebanon tourism

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Navigation Primary Navigation Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Secondary Navigation Asia Pacific World Search Search: Sunny times return for Lebanon tourism AFP - 2 hours 54 minutes ago BEIRUT (AFP) - - Sunny times are back for Lebanon's tourism industry, enjoying its best year since 2004, though clouds may lie ahead if the risk of violence around the spring elections puts people off booking for 2009. "The number of foreign visitors will reach 1.3 million people for the whole of 2008, the same total as in 2004," said Nada Sardouk, director general of the tourism ministry for the country on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean. National carrier Middle East Airlines has done even better than in 2004, according to Nizar Khoury, the marketing director, who said: "We registered a 25 percent increase in passenger numbers in 2008" compared with four years ago. "Flights for the holidays (the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, Christmas and New Year) are full and many others could not make the trip because the hotels are fully booked," he told AFP. Before its 1975-1990 civil war, Lebanon was the playground of the Middle East, generating up to 20 percent of its gross domestic product from tourism, according to the government. It is the only country in the Arab world with natural ski slopes, as well as being famous for its beaches, history, restaurants and nightlife. This year visitors thronged the country's beaches from early summer, encouraged by the relatively stable political situation since May following the Doha agreement which ended three years of at times violent internal disputes. After the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri in Beirut in 2005, the country has suffered a series of crisis. One after the other came political murders, the destructive war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006, deadly battles in a Palestinian refugee camp in 2007 between the army and Islamists, a political showdown and violent confrontation in May that killed more than 65 people. For hotels, restaurants and car hire firms, the relative calm of the second half of 2008 was a huge relief. "The occupancy rate at hotels was 100 percent for the holidays, taking the rate to more than 70 percent in Greater Beirut for the last six months. It is a very good figure," said Pierre Ashkar, chairman of the hoteliers' federation. "We are fully booked for the New Year with a very high waiting list," said Joanne Zarife, in charge of marketing at the Intercontinental Mzaar hotel, near the ski slopes in the Lebanese mountains. "It was an excellent year," said Paul Aariss, president of the restaurateurs' association, noting that 360 new licences were granted in 2008 for restaurants requiring big investment. This year also brought good business for car rental companies, with registrations jumping 50 percent for this type of vehicle, the tourism ministry said. Another sign of a return to normality is that Syrian visitors are coming back, Sardouk said, after a big drop in numbers following the Hariri murder, which many blamed on Syria though Damascus denies it. However, fears are widespread that any fresh trouble could reverse the rebound. "The problem is that tourism is extremely vulnerable and the season can be written off on the slightest security incident," Sardouk said. The situation in Lebanon remains uncertain with the approach of the general election and an increase in political tension between the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority and the minority led by the Shiite Hezbollah movement. Britain last week lifted a warning notice to its citizens travelling to Lebanon but many other countries still regard it as a risky place to visit. Even Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain, which in February advised their nationals against coming to Lebanon, "have yet to change their opinion," Sardouk said. "Next year, we already know that occupancy rates for April and May will drop to around 30 or 40 percent," Ashkar said. "Foreigners realise that the situation is uncertain and say: 'We'll see after the election'," the hoteliers' leader said. Lebanon is to try to offset the possible downturn by launching an international promotional project next week. Email Story IM Story Printable View Blog This Recommend this article Average (0 votes) Sign in to recommend this article » Most Recommended Stories » Related Articles: Entertainment & Lifestyle Judge orders Steven Adler to more rehabAP - 1 hour 1 minute ago Arkansas family welcomes 18th child, a girlAP - 1 hour 1 minute ago On the Net: Hulu is Web site of the yearAP - 1 hour 17 minutes ago Police: Man broke into Paris Hilton's homeAP - 1 hour 40 minutes ago Web site lets fans sing with the KingAP - 2 hours 17 minutes ago Enlarge Photo Two Arab tourists walk in downtown Beirut on December 11, 2008. Sunny times are back for Lebanon's tourism industry, enjoying its best year since 2004, though clouds may lie ahead if the risk of violence around the spring elections puts people off booking for 2009. 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