Despite the ongoing fragile ceasefire, which continues to hang by a thread, the hope of Syrian liberation from the Assad regime has brought a wave of optimism to Lebanon. While this optimism has set a more hopeful tone on the Lebanese scene, many factors are affecting the movement of holiday bookings this year, even though they surged immediately after the ceasefire was enacted.

Jean Abboud, the president of the Syndicate of Travel and Tourism Offices, revealed to the Central News Agency that flight bookings have surged ahead of Christmas and New Year's. However, he explained that this year’s booking trend is different when compared to previous periods.

“When comparing the current trend to the last three months of this year, the booking activity looks like heaven," Abboud said.

"But when compared to last year, the negative difference is significant, unfortunately!" he added, highlighting the downturn compared to previous years.

Abboud also pointed out that some airlines have yet to start flying to Beirut.

"Around 7 or 8 airlines will start operating flights to Beirut Airport starting today or tomorrow, including EgyptAir, Etihad, Qatar Airways, and others. However, a significant number of airlines have not yet resumed flights to Beirut," he said.

Notably, Middle East Airlines (MEA) remained the sole airline operating between Beirut and other destinations for three to four months, running between 30 and 35 flights daily.

However, with more airlines now increasing their operations, Abboud noted that the daily number of flights will rise to about 45. Yet, demand is still outpacing the available flights.

"When we compare this year with last year, it becomes clear that in 2023, there were 80 to 90 flights daily, while this year we are seeing only 40 to 45 flights per day. Between December 10 and 25, 2023, around 14,000 passengers arrived daily, but now it doesn't exceed 6,000. The difference is huge!" he explained.

Turning to the mood of the passengers coming to Lebanon for the holidays, Abboud observed that this year, the majority of arrivals are Lebanese expatriates and workers returning from abroad.

"There have been no foreign or Arab tourists recorded arriving," he noted.

“Expatriates coming this year are arriving with tired spirits and bad moods, unlike last year when their arrival was marked by leisure and spending," he explained. "Today, the psychological factor plays a big role, as they are simply coming to check on their families and inspect their homes after the recent Israeli war on Lebanon."

He also mentioned that "no large New Year's Eve parties have been organized yet," indicating that the mood among Lebanese expats is far from festive. "They will spend the evening with their families and are not in the mood for partying or spending."

Abboud concluded with a grim forecast for the Lebanese tourism sector, which has been deeply affected by the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

"While tourism contributed more than $6.5 billion to the national economy in 2023, it is unlikely to exceed $3 billion in 2024 at best," he stated, underscoring the severe impact the political and security instability has had on the sector.