The LCPS carried out a study on the Hotel and Restaurant industries in Lebanon. The general objective of the study was to review the structure of these two sectors, analyse their performance at present, and give some future projections. As a means to achieve this end, the study was divided into three main parts:

1. the Tourism sector,
2. the Restaurant industry, and
3. the Hotel industry.

Due to the importance of tourism to the hotel and restaurant industries, the report included an analsysis of the tourism sector in Lebanon. Accordingly, data related to the topics hereunder were collected:

• A comparison between pre-war tourism and present tourism in Lebanon
• The flow of tourists into Lebanon, their average spending, consumption habits.
• Reconstruction and other redevelopment efforts to encourage tourism
• Types of tourism (domestic, foreigners, expatriates...)
• Purpose of tourism (corporate, leisure, air crew...)
• Comparative data: Lebanon versus some Middle Eastern countries
• Problems faced by the sector and future projections.

With respect to the restaurant industry, information was gathered by way of interviewing consultants, the Restaurants' Syndicate, and governmental agencies. The data gathered could be divided into two parts. Firstly, information on issues describing the sector at present was obtained:

• The supply of restaurants at present according to geographic areas, cuisine, and categories.
• The demand for restaurants: demand by foreigners, Lebanese expatriates, and Lebanese residents, seasonal demand..... .
• Prices and regulations governing the restaurant sector.

The second part focused on the activity of the sector in general, the factors that affect it, the risks faced, and future projections.

Finally, the part devoted to the hotel sector, focused on the upper-class lodging facilities, namely International and 4 star hotels. To try to anticipate the future situation and performance of the hotel industry, the first step was to gather information on the actual state of the sector. This way readily available data on the following subjects were analyzed:

• The actual demand for transient accommodation and its various components
• The existing supply of rooms and the performance of the hotel sector
• The laws and regulations governing the hotel sector.

The second step involved a market study which identified the investments -ongoing and future- in the hotel sector. Along with the future trends in visitors to Lebanon, a picture of the prospected supply and demand of transient accommodation was drawn.