Nouhad Dammous, editor-in-chief of Hospitality News Middle East, discusses just a few of the ways in which the coronavirus pandemic has reshaped the hotel and restaurant industry.

Covid-19 has left no part of life untouched. The hospitality industry has been hit particularly hard, with airlines reducing the number of flights and travel restrictions causing great disruption.
However, as we enter recovery mode, it is now time for hotels to implement their plans for renovation, from changing their decor to introducing new designs. Hotel owners also need to optimize their strategy for refurbishing and innovating, with a focus on sanitation.
The economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic will inevitably result in higher costs and lower sales for the F&B industry. But while many restaurants are suffering financially, some are coming up with creative ways to reopen, adhering to social distancing, health and sanitation guidelines.
Covid-19 has already led to expansion in the online, ordering and delivery segments. Restaurants all over the world took a major blow when the pandemic began, but it also highlighted the importance of digitalization.
Adopting healthy eating habits became paramount during the Covid-19 outbreak, including maintaining balanced dietary practices, such as eating a mix of wheat, rice, beans and pulses, alongside plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables and some animal products.
A Mediterranean diet has long been linked to the preservation of cardiometabolic health, with an emphasis on food that boosts the immune system, all of which improves our chances of protecting ourselves against Covid-19.
It is therefore essential that we promote the Lebanese diet on an international platform, notably special dishes like tabboule, homos, baba ghanoush, moutabbal, manakish, falafel and halawe, for example.
Now is also the right time to apply the same specifications imposed on the organizations governing the European and international markets to Lebanese products and the wider Lebanese food industry.