The Ministries of Interior and Tourism issued a joint decision setting the cap for valet across Lebanon to 400,000LL (~$4.5). Further reducing it from 700,000LL.
Last year, the Governor of Beirut ordered the crackdown on valet violations.
However, in August 2017, we published that the Ministries of Interior and Tourism issued a joint decision setting the cap for valet across Lebanon to $3.5 (5,000LL at the time)
Valet companies often take over public street parking for free, then pressure people into paying to park there, even if they parked the car themselves, effectively turning public streets into illegal private parking.
When someone rightfully refuses to pay and parks on their own, valet attendants often resort to sympathy tactics, effectively begging.
Others still pay out of fear their car could be damaged, something frequently reported.
During downtime, valet will park their motorcycles in empty street spots to prevent anyone from parking without paying them.
Restaurants and venues are also complicit. In downtown, valet companies pay a restaurant up to $3,000/month to secure the “rights” to manage the valet – despite still being public street.
96% of Lebanese say valet parking hurts their overall experience at a restaurant or venue. 84% say they take it into consideration when deciding to go out.
This has direct negative effects on the economy.
We encourage the ministries and municipalities to aggressively crack down on the valet mafia and associated corruption that create terrible, unsafe, and exploitative conditions for both residents and tourists alike
Solutions:
- Reduce valet fees further
- Empower the Tourism Police to patrol and take action
- Make it easy for people to report violations
- Stop the illegal use of public streets for profit
- Require valet companies to use their own parking lots, instead of illegally taking over public streets
- Install parking meters on public streets so the state can earn revenue and reinvest it in improvements
