Saleh Fareed Saudi Gazette BEIRUT — Due to the unstable political situation in Lebanon, the number of Saudi tourists to Beirut this summer has dropped dramatically according to hoteliers and taxi drivers. Mohammed Al Bissani, a Beirut taxi driver who has worked in the city for the past 10 years, told Saudi Gazette that he never before witnessed such an absence of Saudi and GCC tourists. “The lack of GCC tourists and especially Saudis has really affected not only our business but other businesses as well," he said. Al-Bissani said the peak season starts in the first week of June and ends at the end of August every year. “We have been out of business for a month so far because of the domestic disputes among the various parties in Lebanon and also due to the situation in Syria." At the Solidere districts, considered the most appealing area for GCC tourists, Fadi Al Siadi, the supervisor of the Grand Café said, “Luckily the last two weeks of Euro 2012 saved our business by bringing Lebanese customers to our district but as you notice now with the games over, all cafes here are suffering from a lack of customers while this area is typically packed with thousands of GCC tourists." Speaking about countries that issued travel advisories to the country, Maher Abbod, the general manager of Al Rousha café said, “We certainly understand the warning of GCC countries to protect their citizens, but we assure you that things are normal here." The Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awad Al-Asiri confirmed that Riyadh warned its citizens against traveling to Lebanon, citing recent security incidents in the country. Sultan Al Huthily from Riyadh who has been with his family in Beirut for the past week feels he is the only one from Saudi Arabia this summer. “It is really strange not to see Saudi tourists or even other GCC tourists in Beirut this summer, and it seems that tourism sector is badly suffering," he said. Nadeem Al Haj, a travel agent confirmed that bookings to Lebanon have dropped heavily and many reservations by GCC tourists have been cancelled due to the travel advisory. “It usually happens when there is political unrest in the country but we see it as a normal situation," he said.
