Flights to Lebanon are already full for the holiday season, according to Jean Abboud, president of the union of tourism and travel agencies. These reservations are an encouraging signal for December 2026. However, they do not make it possible to conclude that all the connections to Beirut are saturated or that the next season will overcome the difficulties of tourism professionals.
In statements on 10 November, Jean Abboud cited several major cities of departure, including London, Paris, Dubai, Riyadh, Jeddah and Athens. He states that scheduled flights during the holidays reached a 100% booking rate. He talks about tickets already reserved for future departures, no travelers already arrived in Lebanon.
A peak expected at the end of December
The professional manager plans to improve the demand from the beginning of December and then a peak at the end of the month, with an activity extending to the beginning of January. The calendar announced remains that of a short season. A holiday-oriented movement can support sales without ensuring a comparable level of business activity in the following weeks.
The destinations mentioned give an indication of the markets concerned. They do not constitute a comprehensive survey of available seats. No table by company, date or frequency accompanies these returns. The rate of 100 per cent should therefore not be applied to all departures from London or Paris or to all arrivals at Beirut airport.
Reservations are not yet a tourist report
Three measures must remain separate: reserved seats, passengers actually transported and expenses incurred during the stay. The first indicator provides information on the application at a given date. The other two can only be established during the season and then in its balance sheet.
The same reasoning applies to accommodation. A plane ticket to Lebanon does not automatically mean a hotel overnight. Some travellers can be accommodated by relatives or have accommodation. Without data on length of stay and accommodation, it would be premature to deduct from air bookings a hotel occupancy rate or a tourist revenue.
Additional flights are also being reported to meet the demand in late December. In the absence of a detailed programme of carriers in the items presented, their scope cannot be quantified as a certain increase in total capacity. The commercialized schedules and the finally completed flights will measure this contribution.
Safety remains a demand of professionals
Jean Abboud calls for increased security and the fight against theft, offences and behaviour that undermine visitors’ reception. It links this demand to the difficulties faced by companies in an environment marked by war and uncertainty. It does not present expected attendance as a guarantee of general reorganization.
The next useful elements will be the detailed schedules of the announced reinforcements, followed by attendance data. The nights and length of stay will then allow us to appreciate how this demand translates into the activity of hotels and other tourist enterprises.
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