Pierre Ashkar: Bombings in remote Qa3 may not affect tourism in Lebanon

In the wake of the successive bombings which hit the Bekaa region of Al Qa’a on Monday and Tuesday, the president of the syndicate of Hotel Owners in Lebanon, Pierre Ashkar, played down fears of losing a potentially successful summer season, acknowledging however that security and logistic preparedness for the season may have been affected by the deplorable terrorist events. Al Qa3, Ashkar said, is a remote border town relatively away from the well none and popular recreational areas. Similar incidents, he added, “have occurred in the neighboring town of Arsal but did not affect the touristic hubs in Mount Lebanon and the capital.” Tourism activity in Lebanon, Ashkar maintained, extends from Ehden in the North to Jezzine in the South and to Beirut. Outside the said zone, there are little signs of any significant touristic activity,” he claimed.  Ashkar added that it is early to assess of the impact of the bombings on hotel and flight bookings this summer in the country, indicating that the impact on the summer season would be more direct and massive should the bombings take place in Beirut or its environs.  (Al Diyar, June 29, 2016