Fall-out.....

Trucks carrying rubble they collected from buildings that were destroyed following Israeli air strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut queue Thursday along the coast of the southern suburb of Ouzai, south of Beirut
(AP photo by Dimitri Messinis)


And the Jordanian tourism industry is suffering as a result of the recent hostilities....(no surprises there)

Petra hotels brace for sharp decline in business
By Dalya Dajani

Hotels in Petra that were bustling with tourists earlier this summer are bracing for a sharp decline in business due to the recent conflict in Lebanon.

Several hoteliers in the popular tourist resort said a high percentage of tour groups slated to visit the country in the coming months had cancelled their travel plans.

“The situation in Lebanon definitely affected business, particularly for the months of August, September, October and November,” said Othman Al Salman, sales and marketing manager at the Golden Tulip Hotel.

“Cancellations stand at around 40 per cent for these months and so far there are only a few reservations for early next year,” he added.

Travel agencies bringing in these tour groups from Western Europe and the Far East had informed the hotel of the change in plans, he told The Jordan Times.

Salman said he remained hopeful that the situation might improve based on how the situation in Lebanon develops.

“The coming few weeks will provide tourists the opportunity to review their travel plans. We hope the tourist flow will improve, as October is when Europeans take their annual vacation,” he noted.

The hotel’s occupancy in August closed at 37 per cent, a major drop from the 65 per cent in the same month last year.

Salman said the projected occupancy for September, if the tourists do come, will stand at around 45 per cent.



picture and article from this weekend's Jordan Times