May 13--BEIRUT -- Occupancy at Beirut hotels declined 10 percent in the first quarter of 2013 as room yields dropped 35 percent, Ernst & Young's monthly survey of the MENA hotel sector showed.

The average occupancy rate at hotels in Beirut was 56 percent in the first quarter, down from 66 percent in the same quarter last year. The decline was the second steepest decrease in the MENA region, where occupancy increased 1.3 percent on average.

Occupancy rates at Beirut hotels were 49 percent in January, climbing up to 60 and 58 percent respectively in February and March 2013.

Cairo had the lowest hotel occupancy rate at 28 percent in the first quarter as Amman posted the steepest drop of 22 percent during the same period.

___

(c)2013 The Daily Star (Beirut, Lebanon)

Visit The Daily Star (Beirut, Lebanon) at www.dailystar.com.lb/

Distributed by MCT Information Services