In a village in Lebanon’s In the picturesque Chouf Mountains, 69-year-old Chafik Mershad pulls out a huge rectangular guest book and reads in despair the date on which he received his last visitor: November 16, 2019.

A month earlier Protests against the government had exploded across the country due to taxes and a worsening currency crisis. In the midst of this uncertainty, few people visited his guest house. Then came the Coronavirus and subsequently government bans. The guest house officially closed its doors in February 2020. A year and a half later, he still has no plans to reopen amid the current financial crisis in the country.

“Corona really affected us, but the biggest thing was the currency crisis,” said Mershad in his house above the guest house. “We used to offer our guests meals with Nescafe, whatever they wanted, at a reasonable price. Now a hamburger patty costs so much. “

The double shocks of the pandemic and a devastating financial crisis have wiped out the hospitality industry in this Mediterranean nation known for its beaches, mountain resorts and great food. Hundreds of businesses, including boarding houses like Mershad Guesthouse, had to close.

But as pandemic restrictions are eased, companies that have survived are hoping that the dollars spent visiting Lebanese expats and an increase in domestic tourism can get the wheels of the economy going again.

Currently, most hotel reservations are made by Lebanese expats and some foreigners from neighboring Iraq, Egypt and Jordan. Arrivals at the airport are increasing: In the past few weeks, Beirut Airport has operated four flights a day from Iraq with a total of more than 700 passengers, according to Jean Abboud, President of the Travel and Tourist Agents Union. Chaotic scenes were reported in the arrivals hall as people crowded for the mandatory PCR test.

Many Lebanese who traditionally spent the summer vacation abroad are now turning to domestic tourism. It is the more practical option due to travel restrictions, money in banks, and a lack of working credit cards.

“In the last two years the country has changed radically. It is no longer a destination for nightlife, city tourism and what people knew. There is … more interest on the part of Lebanese people to travel within their country, “said Joumana Brihi, board member of the Lebanese Mountain Trail Association. The association maintains a 470-kilometer hiking trail that crosses the country from north to south.

Many in the industry say the number of domestic tourists has increased significantly since the country’s lockdown was eased in April. They expect expats to pile up and spend this summer despite the instability, in part because of the depreciated Lebanese pound.

That will save many places from closing or “at least prolong the lives of some businesses,” said Maya Noun, general secretary of the restaurant owners’ syndicate.

Since October 2019, the Lebanese currency has lost more than 90% of its value and is traded at around 17,000 Lebanese pounds against the dollar on the black market. The official exchange rate remains at 1,507 pounds to the dollar.

Last year, MP Michel Hence was chastised on social media for saying on TV that “Lebanon is really cheap in every way” because of the crumbling currency.

“People laughed at me back then,” Hence told The Associated Press. “Now a lot of Lebanese expats come because of the prices, but we also want foreigners.”

Nevertheless, the local scene is not a picturesque holiday destination. Power outages last a large part of the day and privately operated generators have had to be shut down for several hours to ration fuel. The country suffers from a shortage of essential products, including medicines, medical devices and gasoline.

For weeks, frustrated citizens have queued to refuel at gas stations, with the occasional fistfight and shootout amid tense nerves. More than half of the population has plunged into poverty and, with sectarian tensions mounting, Lebanon feels ready to break out.

The currency crash in Lebanon has created a staggering rift between the comfortable minority, whose incomes are in so-called fresh dollars that can be withdrawn from banks, and those who are pushed further into poverty, including former members of a disappearing middle class, whose purchasing power is disappeared.

The resorts in the coastal towns of Batroun and Byblos are regularly full and are expected to do well this summer after closing last year due to the pandemic. Restaurants, pubs and rooftop bars are buzzing again and some mountain inns and boutique hotels are fully booked.

However, the idea that expats will help the economy is partially misleading, said Mike Azar, a Beirut-based financial advisor. “Foreign dollars coming from tourists will always be a positive thing, but does this make the lira (pound) appreciate or depreciate more slowly? You can’t really say that. “

Many expats seem hesitant about visiting Lebanon. Some long to reconnect with family after long separations caused by the pandemic. Others are unwilling to take the risk.

Joe Rizk, a 20-year-old engineering student at UMass Lowell in the US from the coastal village of Damour, said his family persuaded him to return for the month of August. He said he would bring drugs that are in short supply, like Advil, for family and friends.

“I won’t be spending more than $ 300 or $ 400 this entire month even if I went to a bar, club or restaurant every night,” he said, adding that he would use the family home and car in Lebanon.

However, Hala al-Hachem, a 37-year-old assistant bank director in Massachusetts, said she was too concerned to visit Lebanon with two children, ages 8 and 6. Originally from southern Lebanon, she returned with her family every summer.

Not this time.

“Do I want to go there and not be able to fill up my car and travel around? Do I want to go there and risk one of them getting sick and going to a hospital where they don’t have the drugs necessary to treat them? Should my sons wonder why there is no electricity at night? ”She asked.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR