BEIRUT: Lebanon’s legendary cedars are already snowcapped, ready for skiers to hit the slopes. But the visitors might not be so ready to come, say resort owners.

“The snowfall is good. That’s not the problem. It’s the political situation,” says Ronald Sayegh, founder of skileb.com, a website that provides information about mountain sports activities at six ski resorts in Lebanon and sells travel packages. “The summer was bad. We’re hoping to have a good winter, but I don’t think it will be busy.”

As the Middle East’s most reliable ski locale, Lebanon has historically been a destination for the region’s snow lovers, many of whom drive in for a weekend of skiing and snowboarding during winter. But this past year, Lebanon has seen a number of security incidents that have halted travel plans for many of its regular visitors – illustrated by a near 50-percent drop over the summer, and now low bookings for the winter months.

Those bookings that they are getting tend to be made at the last minute, with potential visitors closely monitoring the security situation prior to travel, knowing that they can easily get a room on short notice during this slow ski season. Virtually all of the Syrian market and much of the Jordanian and Gulf market are gone, as these visitors often travel overland for long weekend trips.

For some, the thought of a dead ski season is unthinkable.

“We’re well known for being the only country with a ski season in the Middle East, but we’re affected by what’s happening in Lebanon and the region,” Charbel Salameh, president of the Lebanese Ski Federation, tells The Daily Star over the phone from the mountains in Faraya.

Charbel, who hails from the resort town, wants people to know that “Lebanon is ready to welcome tourists. We will take care of them.”

Despite what he estimates will be a 25-percent drop in tourists from last year, he says he’s confident Lebanon will bounce back: “I’m optimistic. Lebanon is resilient. We’ve gone through hard times before, and we always come back.”

Still, with no indications that the situation will turn around anytime soon, resort owners and tour operators are now focusing on the local market, offering discounts and increasing advertising campaigns.

“We’re doing advertising in schools. We’re trying to focus on the local market,” says Sayegh.

Even though the slopes will likely be emptier, Beirut resident and avid skier Walid Mansour expects he’ll miss the crowds: “I like to feel that the slopes are not empty. I want to see people happy and playing with snow, and I like to feel like I’m not alone on an empty mountain.”
 
  
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Daily Star on December 21, 2012, on page 5.

The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: www.dailystar.com.lb

December 21, 2012 01:12 AM
By Brooke Anderson
The Daily Star