Abdul Rahman Yousef, a Jordanian coming to Lebanon this summer with his wife, said he was glad to visit the country because “the vibes were refreshing”.
“One can feel the happy atmosphere and buzz in public places,” said Yousef as he spread a towel on a beach chair at Jnah, a resort in Lebanon’s capital Beirut.
Yousef is one of the tens of thousands of foreign tourists who came to Lebanon for summer holidays this year. Despite the country’s lingering financial crisis and political instabilities, its tourism sector is thriving, industry insiders said.
“Lebanon received 700,000 expatriates and tourists in August, up by 22% to 26% when compared with the same period last year,” said Jean Abboud, head of the Syndicate of Tourism and Travel Agencies, adding the upward trend is expected to continue until mid-September.
“We expect the number of expatriates and tourists visiting Lebanon to reach around two million between June and September, with 35% of the tourists from Arab countries and 38% from the rest of the world,” he said.
Jean Beyrouthy, head of the Federation of Tourism Syndicates, said tourism institutions generally reaped 10% more profit than expected from mid-May to August.
On average, hotels registered an occupancy rate of 70% this summer, compared to about 50% last summer, said Pierre Ashkar, head of the Syndicate of Hotel Owners in Lebanon.
“More tourists flocked to areas with adventurous tourism activities such as biking, hiking, parasailing, and rafting, and hotels and guesthouses have noticed the increase,” he said.
Nassib Ghobril, an economist and head of the economic research department at Byblos Bank, said the performance of the tourism industry had a positive impact on the economy.
He predicted that the tourism sector’s revenues this year would reach US$9bil (RM41.83bil), up from about US$6.5bil (RM30.21bil) last year.
“All players in the sector, including hotels, guesthouses, pubs, nightclubs, resorts, and car rentals, reported an exceptional season this year,” said Ghobril.
Ghobril credited the tourism industry’s strong performance to the fact that travellers are drawn to Lebanon by its beautiful scenery and services, as well as its reasonable cost when compared to other countries, particularly those in Europe.
“Lebanon is an ideal destination for family tours because a wide range of activities is available to suit different tastes, whether in the mountains, beaches, restaurants, or nightclubs,” said Yousef’s wife Raghida.
Alia Shawki, an Egyptian in her 30s, travelled to Lebanon with her friends this summer. When asked why she had chosen to visit Lebanon, she said that the prices here have become more affordable after the devaluation of the local currency.
According to Ghobril, the number of foreign visitors to the country increased by 32% in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. He also predicted that the momentum of growth would continue in the second half of the year. – Xinhua
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