By Ali Al-Nasser (with photos)
BEIRUT, Jan 8 (KUNA) -- Booking in hotels and chalets in the skiing resort of Faraya northeast of the Lebanese capital this winter's season posted unprecedented hike despite political tension prevailing on the local arena.
Aziz Muhanna, whose business is leasing and selling chalets, as well as skiing gears, told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that the tourists' presence in the region exceeded his expectations and expressed hope that their high inflow would proceed to make up for losses incurred during the season of last year.
Leasing of the chalets, during the recent holidays, Christmas and New Year, soared by 75 percent compared to the low proportion of only 20 percent during the same season the previous year.
On weekends, the snow-blanketed mountainous region is crowded with many Arab and foreign tourists in addition to many Lebanese, but during the other days of the week, the presence is largely confined to the locals.
Lina Matarji, in charge of public relations at Intercontinental Hotel, told the Kuwaiti news agency that the booking in her hotel during the recent holidays reached 100 percent, and subsided to 60 percent in the other days of this current period of time.
Presence of Kuwaiti and European tourists was noticeable during this season, she added.
A Kuwaiti tourist told KUNA that he did not sense, during his recreational stay, that the country was gripped with political crises, namely bickering over election of a new president.
"Faraya is my favorite destination for recreation and relief from work stress," he said.
The 80-sq-km high land is dotted with 18 skiing centers. Above-sea height of the mountains in the region ranges between 1,850 meters and 2,465 m. The average visitors during the skiing season is estimated at 2,000 per day. The figure jumps to 4,000 on weekends.
