As Bombs Fall on Beirut, Tourism Booms Uphill

— -- While Hezbollah and Israel bomb each other, tourism booms in some parts of Lebanon.

It's just for all the wrong reasons.

Moneyed Beirutis and the few foreigners left have fled the city and the Lebanese lowlands.

They've moved uphill to the ski resorts and vacation hotels in the mountains above Beirut, far from the shells and Katushya rockets falling in other parts of the country.

The result is an eerie boon to business for restaurants, bars and nightclubs -- guests lounging in the summer sun, clouded by fears of war and an uncertain future.

Lebanese-Canadian Johnny Kairouz, 25, was playing pool with friends in the mountain enclave of Bcharre when he said to ABC News, "Things are normal here, but there is a feeling of malaise."

"It's a calm area with plenty of food, water, and electricity," he said. "But people are worrying about their future, the jobs."

During Lebanon's 15 years of civil war, it was common practice to seek safety in the mountains, largely Christian territories that were cool in summer and snowcapped in winter.

Heading for the Hills

Today, with missiles flying across the Israeli border, history is repeating itself.

Much like those days, the pleasant safety of the hills is only available to those with the money to pay for it.

Mountain resorts and suburban hotels that usually cater to Arabs and Europeans are full with a Lebanese clientele fleeing Beirut and southern Lebanon.

Hotels in the hills have reached capacity and have taken on waiting lists for rooms that cost up to $300 a night.

Some hotels are even offering a wartime discount: up to 30 percent off their rates.

Some of those filled to capacity have even helped families find nearby apartments or other hotel rooms where occupancy is lower.

Bars and nightclubs have also filled up.

Joe Zarifeh, who owns the Moods bar in the hillside city of Broummana, says business is better than ever. With everyone uphill and Beirut shut down by war, his bar has become the main event in town.

Moods and its three sister pubs next door were hoping for a busy summer season.

They made a special push to attract World Cup watchers earlier this month. Although that attendance didn't come through as hoped, Zarifeh's seats are full and people are clamoring to get in.

"They come here to forget. … Far from what's happening below. No politics, good music, nice people," Zarifeh said.

Israel's land and sea blockade isn't stopping the party.

It's a Buyer's Market for Nightclubs

It turns out that when it comes to supplies, it's a buyer's market.

"The suppliers have lots of stuff. … Their alcohol stocks are full because Beirut was expecting so much tourism this summer," Zarifeh said. "There's oversupply, and now they need us more than we need them. It's the same for food."

Zarifeh estimates that in contrast to the 200 to 300 commercial nightspots in Beirut that are currently closed, "now there are only 20 places in business."

Lebanese citizens have been told the country has enough food and fuel in storage to last three months.

It's unclear whether that assessment is true and whether the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel could even reach or surpass that limit.

It's also unclear what the overall economic impact will be on the mountain regions.

It's obvious, however, that a conflict that's been good for Broummana so far will be devastating to the national economy.

What's happening is an internal redistribution of wealth, not the inflow of foreign tourist dollars Lebanese economists were anticipating from the summer of 2006.

Residents describe two types of people seeking safety in the hills: those who have chosen to leave their homes below as a precautionary measure and affluent refugees fleeing from areas that have already been destroyed.

Either way, the wealthy will ride out the war in relative comfort. Their time in the mountains is no carefree vacation, though.

"Families are afraid. They've not come here for fun," said Hassan Naccacha, owner of The Belvedere Hotel in Broummana.

While Lebanon waits and braces for the worst, those who can afford it just raise their glasses to a better tomorrow.

ABC News' Ingrid Anid and Astrid Hill contributed to this report.