BEIRUT, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- A Lebanese tourism expert said that the monthly losses caused by the closure of restaurants and cafes in Beirut following the port's blasts stand between 500 million U.S. dollars to 600 million dollars, Elnashra news website reported on Saturday.
Khaled Nazha, vice president of the Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants, Cafes, Night-clubs & Pastries in Lebanon, said that owners of restaurants and cafes are incapable of withdrawing their money from banks to fix the damage due to the unofficial capital control imposed by banks on depositors.
Nazha added that the government can't afford to compensate owners of tourism institutions for their losses.
He called for holding an international aid conference to attract funds aimed at reviving the tourism sector in Lebanon, noting that 2,096 restaurants and pubs were completely destroyed by the explosions.
Two huge explosions rocked Beirut's port on Aug. 4, destroying a big part of the city and causing damage with a cost estimated at over 15 billion U.S. dollars. Enditem
