UAE travellers undeterred by advisory against Lebanon travel

Dubai: Travel agencies in the UAE have not seen a large number of cancellations of flights to Lebanon following the government’s warning not to travel to the country on Sunday.

Emiratis were advised by the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs not to travel to Lebanon due to security concerns, while those already in the country were urged by Hamad Mohammad Al Junaibi, the UAE’s Charge d’affaires in Lebanon, to leave immediately.

Lebanon is a popular holiday destination for travellers from the UAE and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The civil war in neighbouring Syria has had a big impact on tourism in Lebanon, as the spillover from conflict has kept visitors away.

“There have not been big cancellations,” said Gassan Aridi, chief executive of Alpha Tours. According to him, flight bookings have gone up by more than 80 per cent during the summer months compared to the same period in 2013, partly due to Lebanon’s push to attract more tourists to the country.

He said that Emiratis are keen to travel to Lebanon during Eid.

Similarly, Manu Mehrotra, general manager of Al Tayer Travel Agency, said there were a few flight cancellations.

Kulwant Singh, managing director of Lama Group, a destination management company, on the other hand, says the impact of the UAE government’s warning will be felt in the next three to four days.

“Bookings to Lebanon in the last two- and- a- half years have not been encouraging. There has not been much MICE [meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions] and leisure business,” Singh said. Lebanese residents in the UAE account for the majority of travellers to Lebanon. Their numbers have declined in the last two weeks, he said.

If the security situation in the country improves, he expects Lebanese residents that couldn’t travel in the summer, to travel in September or October.

Analysts said that lower demand from tourists has affected hotel occupancy levels.

“Frequent travel warnings have resulted in the instability of hotels in Beirut. Occupancy levels are unstable,” said Christopher Hewett, senior consultant at TRI Hospitality Consulting.

Philip Wooller, area director for the Middle East and Africa at STR Global, says occupancy rates in Beirut have plummeted 17 per cent year-to-date, standing at 44 per cent, while average room rates have dropped by 4.3 per cent and revenue per available room by 20.5 per cent.

The UAE government has issued three travel warnings for Lebanon in the last two years.