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Lebanese tourism and economic growth worn down by Syrian violence
DestinationsLebanon’s small open economy is not expected to grow particularly fast in 2013 due to the uncertainty of the sectarian violence in neighboring Syria, economy and trade minister Nicolas Nahas said on Monday. “GDP (gross domestic product) is $40 billion. Due to the Syria crisis and the effect on the (Lebanese) tourism sector, I think [...]
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The Syrian government’s cozy relationship with the world’s leading airline ticketing companies
TransportDespite the horrors of the Syrian government’s attempt to brutally crush the uprising in Syria, global distribution system (GDS) and airline IT providers Travelport, Amadeus, and Sabre provided services to the Assad-goverment controlled Syrian Arab Airlines, even during its ongoing, brutal crackdown. Travelport, which took in more than $4 million in revenue from Syria in 2011, only suspended [...]
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The Syrian civil war is killing Lebanon’s nascent tourism industry
DestinationsLebanon is slashing airfares and hotel rates this week in to revive its tourism industry, which is reeling from the civil war in neighbouring Syria. Middle East Airlines, the national carrier, is offering discounts of up to 50 per cent on selected packages for a 50-day period starting on Tuesday, while Fadi Abboud, the minister [...]
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Violence shuts down Syria’s international airport in Aleppo
TransportClashes between government troops and rebels on Tuesday forced the international airport in Aleppo to stop all flights in and out of Syria’s largest city, while fierce battles also raged in the suburbs of the capital Damascus. The rebels have been making inroad in the civil war recently, capturing a string of military bases and [...]
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Middle East hotel performance remains relatively steady despite regional civil unrest
DestinationsHotel performance has been robust until the summer in Israel, where hundreds of thousands of tourists flock to the beaches surrounding Tel Aviv. Continued growth is anticipated in subsequent years. However, recent violence likely will soften demand as travelers planning to visit for the holiday season will be watching for signals of stability and security. Damascus, [...]
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What’s been lost in Syria: Remembering Aleppo’s historic Silk Road souk
DestinationsA few miles from Aleppo are the hills where human beings first domesticated wild grasses. All the wheat we eat originates from those plants and the first farmers. Once those hunter gatherers settled, they set in motion developments that led to towns an…
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Air France asks passengers to count their cash to contribute to refuel in Syria
TransportPassengers were asked to help pay for fuel on a Beirut-bound Air France flight that had to be diverted to Syria this week, the airline said. In the end, passengers did not have to go into their pockets to help fuel the plane, the airline said. “Air France confirms that it asked passengers if they [...]
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Hotel and rental home occupancies in Turkish border province shoot up due to Syrian conflict
RoomsThe Syrian conflict has largely driven tourists away from Turkey’s border province of Antakya, but hotels are full due to an influx of journalists that some say is too good to last. “Hotels are making profits out of the Syrian crisis. We are currently 70 to 80 percent full even on the worst day,” said [...]
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Flight attendants delay flight to battle over Syrian civil war
TransportSource: Daily Telegraph By Ruth Sherlock Beirut What began as a disagreement between the two flight attendants, one enamoured with the Syrian regime and the other opposed to it, turned into a fist-fight. The hostesses’ flight was delayed as the women slugged it out in Dubai Airport in a brawl that had to be broken [...]
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Lebanon’s neighbors now plan to avoid travel to the country
DestinationsThe warning from Al Mustaqbal, the Beirut-based newspaper, is ominously clear: The call by Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE to their citizens to avoid visiting or staying in Lebanon amounts to an economic catastrophe for the country.
