Lebanon’s hotel sector is once again facing what industry officials describe as a state of “clinical death” as war, security tensions, and economic hardship crush hopes for a strong Eid al-Adha holiday and summer tourism season.

The hospitality industry in Lebanon has suffered repeated setbacks with every security escalation and every confrontation involving Hezbollah, depriving the country of crucial tourism revenues and hard currency inflows.

Just weeks before Eid al-Adha, which falls on June 26 this year, hotel reservations remain low and uncertain, while occupancy rates have plunged to between 5% and 10%, according to tourism industry officials cited by Nidaa Al-Watan newspaper. 

Despite decades of crises, Lebanon’s hotel sector has developed what industry leaders describe as a survival instinct, adapting to conflict and instability in order to seize whatever limited tourism opportunities emerge during calmer periods.

“We’ve developed expertise in crisis management,” Pierre Achkar, head of the Hotel Owners’ Syndicate and president of the Federation of Tourist Syndicates, told Nidaa Al Watan.

Hotels would normally be preparing at this time of year for Eid al-Adha and the peak summer season. But with war and heightened security tensions persisting since March, preparations this year are moving slowly and cautiously.

Achkar said he does not expect a strong summer season under the current conditions, citing several factors.

The first is the growing displacement of residents from areas targeted by Israeli strikes.

The second is the changing behavior of Lebanese expatriates, many of whom previously spent extended vacations in Lebanon during the summer.

“In the past, expatriates would come for six weeks or even two months,” Achkar said. “Now they will likely stay only 10 to 20 days, visit their families, provide financial support, and leave.”

A third major obstacle is the sharp rise in airfare prices, which Achkar said will prevent many Lebanese living abroad — particularly in Canada, Australia, and the United States — from visiting their homeland this summer.

“Their financial situation simply will not allow them to buy extremely expensive airline tickets,” he said.

Tourism professionals say Eid al-Adha bookings remain especially fragile, with many travelers waiting to see whether the security and political climate improves before confirming plans.

Achkar estimated that the number of visitors arriving from neighboring Arab countries during the holiday would likely be half of what Lebanon saw in previous years.

“Beirut hotels used to benefit the most from visitors coming to Lebanon,” he said. “This year Beirut will not have a large share because of the heavy displacement there.”

He said the humanitarian crisis unfolding in parts of the capital has also changed the atmosphere in the city’s tourism and restaurant sectors.

“People cannot comfortably sit in restaurants while displaced families in need of food and assistance are right in front of them,” he said.

According to Achkar, areas outside Beirut — including Antelias, Dbayeh, and Jounieh — have seen relatively stronger restaurant activity as visitors shift away from the capital.

The uncertain security situation has severely impacted hotel occupancy, which currently ranges between 5% and 10%, compared with 30% to 40% during the same period last year.

Most of the current hotel guests, Achkar said, are delegations from international organizations such as the World Bank, along with diplomats, embassy officials, and ambassadors, amid the near-total absence of conferences, exhibitions, and major events that once sustained the sector.

Jean Beiruti, Secretary-General of Tourism Unions' Federations, told Nidaa Al Watan that current reservations are being made only for short periods of 10 to 15 days and remain highly vulnerable to cancellation if the security situation deteriorates further.

He contrasted the current atmosphere with the optimism that followed Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Lebanon in November 2025, which had briefly revived confidence in the country as a tourism destination.

“After the pope’s visit, perceptions of Lebanon changed dramatically,” Beiruti said. “By January, we had already begun receiving paid bookings for May and June because there was strong optimism about the summer season. But those reservations were canceled once the war began.”

According to Beiruti, most visitors expected during Eid al-Adha will come from neighboring countries such as Iraq, Egypt, and Jordan, in addition to Lebanese expatriates living across the Arab world.

He stressed that the Lebanese people deserve “to live in peace and reach a lasting peace.”

Beiruti described the condition of the hotel sector as “clinical death,” adding that Lebanese expatriates are now returning mainly for family visits rather than tourism, as was once common during periods of stability.

He said the sector now faces two possible scenarios.

“If the war ends soon, we may still be able to salvage part of the summer season,” he said. “But if stability returns only later — for example in June — it will already be too late because tourists and even Lebanese travelers plan their summer vacations well in advance.”

Hotels are also struggling under mounting operational costs, particularly energy and diesel expenses, as global fuel prices continue to rise.

The crisis has forced a number of hotels, especially those located in or near areas exposed to airstrikes, to shut down completely.

Others have shifted to seasonal operations in order to reduce costs, opening only during peak summer months instead of operating year-round.

Some establishments have closed entire floors or buildings in an effort to survive financially for as long as possible.

The downturn has inevitably triggered layoffs across the industry. Achkar estimated that Lebanon’s hotel sector employs around 40,000 workers, with unemployment among them currently ranging between 30% and 40%.

He added that around 70% of hotels stretching from Beirut airport southward have closed.

Meanwhile, many hotels in Mount Lebanon that had already become seasonal following Lebanon’s financial collapse are facing even greater uncertainty this year. Some that previously opened during the summer season will remain closed altogether.

Industry officials say the war and its broader consequences — including soaring airline ticket prices — have effectively destroyed hopes for even a modest tourism recovery.