Beirut (Lebanon): Foreign tourists used to pop into Sandra Spanioli's gift shop in a five-star Beirut hotel every few minutes to buy a magazine, a map or a postcard. Now, she's lucky to see 20 customers a day.
Lebanon's tourism industry was on track to break records this year before the war between Israel and Hezbollah broke out July 12 and brought business at hotels, restaurants and shops to a crashing halt.
Two months after the August 14 cease-fire, few tourists are trickling into Lebanon. Industry experts say that the travel business will take two years to rebound, and then only if the country remains stable and safe, an uncertain prospect.
"Business is not good right now," said Spanioli as she stood behind the counter at The Visitor Books & Gifts.
"Perhaps it could get better, but that's only if the political situation calms down a bit,” she added.
A small country on the Mediterranean Sea, Lebanon has no significant natural resources and relies heavily on tourism, which accounts for about 12 percent of national revenue.
The industry suffered some turbulence after the February 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
However, Lebanon enjoyed a period of relative calm after Syria withdrew its troops two months later and tourists crowded Beirut's beaches and Baalbek's ancient ruins.
Before the war, Tourism Minister Joe Sarkis was predicting record 1.6 million visitors in 2006, with revenues topping US$2 billion.
But the rosy outlook ended with the hostilities, replaced by more sullen forecasts. The Beirut airport was closed for more than a month after Israeli warplanes and gunboats attacked it.
An oil spill caused by Israeli airstrikes tainted Beirut's beaches and frescoes in a Roman-era tomb in the southern port city of Tyre were shaken to the ground.
Nada Sardouk Ghandour, the Ministry of Tourism's general director, said that the amount of lost revenue has not yet been calculated, but small- and medium-sized businesses were most affected.
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"It was paradise to hell, that's what happened," Ghandour said. "Loss and catastrophe happened to Lebanon's economy, including the tourism industry."
According to Ministry of Tourism statistics, 26,684 people arrived in Lebanon in August — an 85.4 percent decrease from the same month last year.
In September, the number jumped to more than 67,000 — a majority from other Arab countries — but it was still nearly 43 per cent less than September 2005. October figures were not available.
Lebanon had hoped for a slight bump in visitors during last week's Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, when throngs of mostly Arab tourists usually flock to the country.
Ghandour said that hotels averaged between 40 and 60 per cent occupancy during the holiday.
A scattering of tourists from other Arab countries could be seen dining at Beirut's swanky restaurants, and a few tour buses could be seen on city streets.
Jihane Shkar, general manager at the Albergo Hotel in Beirut, said her 33-suite hotel was luckier than most, with 70 per cent of the rooms occupied during Eid.
However, instead of staying for a week like they had in the past, many of her guests were in Lebanon for only three or four days, and some canceled at the last minute, she said.
Ghandour said the ministry is trying to work with banks and small tourism businesses to help them stay afloat.
A program that began in the summer allowing visitors from some countries, including the United States, to enter the country without a visa will continue, and plans to promote Lebanon at international travel conferences are in the works.
She predicted that tourism would return to prewar levels by 2008 — if the country rebuilds and remains stable.
"Tourism is coming back slowly," she said. "If there is some silence, it would help us a lot."
However, stability is not a guarantee in Lebanon, where fears of political unrest pervade. Beirut has witnessed a series of minor attacks over the past few weeks, including a grenade fired at a downtown building those houses a dance club.
The explosion, which was near UN offices, injured six people, broke windows and damaged cars.
Many people believe the attacks had political or sectarian overtones, but no suspects have been publicly named.
The unease has some international tour operators discontinuing trips to Lebanon until the situation is safer.
Amr Abdel-Ghaffar, of the UN World Tourism Organisation in Madrid, said that, based on past experience, he believes Lebanon can recover.
"There is a resilience to bounce back. This is our experience with tourism in not just in Lebanon but the whole Middle East," he said.
However, at the Riviera Yacht Club on the Beirut coast, which has just a scattering of diners on a recent sunny afternoon, general manager Walid Noshie wasn't optimistic about the near future.
"I was making 40 per cent more business this year, and then they started this stupid war and the businesses is bad," he said adding, "We count on tourism. We count on stability. Tourism and instability don't work together."
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