Early evening in Ashrafieh,a Beirut district known for its nightlife,the Couqley Restaurant is getting ready to open for dinner.Owner Ziad Kamel oversees the preparations.Business is tough.Since the Syrian war began two years ago, the number of tourists visiting Lebanon has fallen by more than a third.Tourism revenues are down by almost one-half.Lots of restaurants, lots of bars have had to shut down, Kamel said.Hotels have had to shut down,if not the whole hotel, they have had to shut down half the hotel and operate on a skeleton staff.Everyone is in crisis management at the moment, in downsizing mode, not in growth mode definitely.According to Kamel, his restaurant is still profitable, though barely, because it caters primarily to locals.But he had to close his flagship restaurant on the marina because it catered to wealthy foreign tourists who no longer come.Due to the Syrian crisis, Lebanon's economy grew less than one percent last year, down from average annual growth of eight percent, says Byblos Bank's chief economist.The areas that have suffered the most are consumer confidence and investor sentiment, said Nassib Ghobril.And that has been reflected on economic activity and therefore on real GDP growth.In addition, nearly a half million Syrian refugees have streamed into Lebanon, putting a strain on government services, health care and infrastructure.
阿什拉菲赫的傍晚,这是贝鲁特因为夜生活而闻名的一个地区,而科里餐厅正准备为晚餐开门营业。店主萨伊德・柯美尔负责准备。生意有些难做。自从2年前叙利亚战争开始以来,前来黎巴嫩的游客数量已经下降了超过三分之一。旅游业收入下降了近一半。很多餐馆,酒吧不得不关门, 柯美尔说道。各个酒店不得不暂停营业,如果不是整个酒店,他们也不得不关闭一半的酒店并精简员工。目前每个人都处于危机管理,精简模式,而不是绝对的增长模式。按照柯美尔所说, 虽然勉强经营,他的餐馆仍然有利可图,因为它主要迎合了当地人。但他不得不关闭自己在码头的旗舰餐厅,因为它所迎合的有钱外国游客已经不会再来光顾。由于叙利亚危机去年黎巴嫩的经济增长不到百分之一,低于每年百分之八的平均增长,巴布鲁斯银行首席经济学家说道。这一地区影响最为严重的是消费者信心和投资者情绪。纳斯比・格布里说道。而且已经反映在经济活动及实际GDP的增长中。此外,近50万叙利亚难民涌入黎巴嫩,造成政府服务,医疗保健及基础设施的巨大压力。
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