Tourism News

[Phoenician Empire]

Lebanon: Tourism on the Mend
Lebanon is one of those countries blessed with most of what it takes to attract visitors year round: sun, sand, stunning scenery, snow and a burgeoning hospitality industry catering to the whims of holiday-makers.
However, it has also had what most countries seeking a thriving tourism industry don't want: bad headlines. While the tourism sector experienced slow and steady growth after the end of the 1975-90 civil war, it took another hit last year after a resurgence of violence, with the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in February 2005 making news headlines around the world.

That act, and a spate of other high profile attacks, saw foreign visitor arrivals fall by an estimated 11% in 2005, dropping to just over 1m.

A year after the Hariri assassination there is new optimism in the Lebanese tourism sector, with investments being made and visitor numbers expected to break records.

In an interview with Reuters in mid-May, Lebanese Tourism Minister Joseph Sarkis estimated that 1.6m tourists would visit Lebanon this year, bringing in some $2bn of much needed foreign currency. However, he added a note of caution by saying that the positive projections were dependent on the continuity of stability and the absence of further violent incidents.

The unstable security situation had a negative effect on tourism last year, although it was not that dramatic, Sarkis told Reuters. But with the halt in security incidents the situation has been improving and we have very encouraging signs this year.

Another to share the sense of optimism for the sector is head of the IMF's Middle East and Central Asia department, Mohsin Khan. In May, the Fund released its latest country report on Lebanon, with many of the dire warnings about the need to reduce debt levels and implement economic reforms repeated as they have been in previous studies.

However, while the IMF report noted that tourism had suffered in 2005, Khan said things looked better for this year.

They are expecting the best year in the history of tourism, he said in an interview with the Agence France Presse (AFP) on June 9.

Some of that optimism is justified by the figures, with 350,000 overseas tourists visiting Lebanon in the first four months of the year, a 30% increase on the same period in 2005.

While many of the attractions that made Lebanon a favorite with European tourists before the civil war still remain, the demographics of overseas visitors has changed. Up to 45% of overseas arrivals are from Arab countries, especially those from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) zone, with the shift in part seen as a response to stricter visa requirements for Arab tourists imposed in the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks in the U.S.

This shift has also been reflected in foreign investment in the Lebanese tourism sector, with firms from a number of GCC countries buying into the industry. The latest of these was the Bahrain-based International Investment Bank (IIB), which on June 13 announced a $25m mixed-use real estate development in downtown Beirut, the 29-storey Grand Tower.

According to Aabed al-Zeera, IIB's chief executive officer, the move is a reflection of the economic potential of Lebanon.

Lebanon is rapidly re-establishing itself as a leading tourism and business hub in the Middle East region, and we are confident that this is the right time to invest in its further growth, al-Zeera said.

Another major project with Arab involvement is the rebuilding of the Grand Hyatt Beirut, being financed by a joint Saudi Arabian-Lebanese holding company. Destroyed in the civil war, the hotel is scheduled to reopen its doors in late 2008.

One who touts the benefits to be had from investing in Lebanon's tourism industry is Nabil Itani, the chairman and general manager of the Investment Development Authority of Lebanon (IDAL), the national development authority charged with facilitating major construction projects and other investments in Lebanon.

The current regional economic boom, driven by factors such as high oil prices and a strong real estate sector, is resulting in investor-friendly conditions that form a critical phase for furthering Lebanon's economic prosperity Itani told reporters on June 12 during a media tour of projects supported by IDAL. We must take full advantage of current economic progression by making greater efforts to attract Arab investment to all sectors of the Lebanese economy by showcasing the prosperity and stability of the country and highlighting the competitive nature of sectors such as tourism.

Oxford Business Group

source: http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/Ne...C?OpenDocument

[LeB.Fr]

Isn't it the souk made in Saifi Village every sunday of summers??

[lebgurl]

Source: http://albaladonline.com/html/story.php?sid=13791
تحسّن حركة الوافدين في شباط 2008

صدى البلد

بلغ عدد الوافدين الى لبنان في شهر شباط، 2008 52 الفا و413 زائراً بزيادة 5157 زائراً عن شباط 2007 واحتل العرب المركز الاول بنسبة، 33.87% تلاهم الاوروبيون.

جاﺀ في نشرة القراﺀة الرقمية لشهر شباط الــصــادرة عن وزارة السياحة وفيها أن الوافدين العرب احتلوا المرتبة الاولــى حيث بلغ عددهم 17.707 زوار.

وقــد تــوزع الــوافــدون بحسب الجنسيات كالآتي: ¶الاردنيون 5619 زائرا بنسبة نحو 32 في المئة من مجمل الزوار العرب.

السعوديون 2835 زائرا اي بنسبة و16نح في المئة من مجمل الزوار العرب.

العراقيون 2529 زائـــرا اي بنسبة نحو 14 في المئة من مجمل الزوار العرب.

يليهم فــي المرتبة الثانية الـــوافـــدون الاوروبـــيـــون 16587 سائحا.

الفرنسيون 4956 زائــرا اي بنسبة 30 في المئة من مجمل الزوار الاوروبيين.

البريطانيون 1999 زائــرا اي بنسبة 12 في المئة من مجمل الزوار الاوروبيين.



الالمان 1828 زائرا اي بنسبة 11 فــي المئة مــن مجمل الـــزوار الاوروبيين.

الايطاليون 1555 زائــرا اي بنسبة 10 في المئة من مجمل الزوار الاوروبيين.

وبالمقارنة بين شباط 2007 ـ، 2008 يتبين الآتي: عدد الوافدين في شهر شباط: 2007 47256 زائرا.

عدد الوافدين في شهر شباط: 2008 52413 زائرا.

المجموع العام للشهرين الاول والثاني 2007--2006 العام: 2006 156616 زائرا.

العام: 2007 100316 زائرا.

العام: 2008 115400 زائر.

اي بتراجع، 31 26 في المئة عن سنة، 2006 وبتقدم، 04 15 في المئة عن سنة 2007.

والملاحظ في الشهرين الاول والثاني من 2008 ان الوافدين الــعــرب حلوا فــي المرتبة الاولــى وقــد بلغ عــددهــم 41928 زائــرا اي بنسبة نحو 36 في المئة من مجمل الزوار.

كما حل في المرتبة الثانية الاوروبيون 33209 زوار اي بنسبة نــحــو 29 فــي الــمــئــة مــن مجمل الزوار.

بلغ عدد الوافدين العرب في الشهرين الاولين من العام 2007 ما مجموعه 39999 زائراً والاوروبيين 28992 زائرا.

[lebgurl]

Translation (not detailed)

- the number of visitors to leb was 52,413, up 5,157 from the same month in 2007
- arabs constituted 17,797 of them
5619 jordanians
2835 saudis
2529 iraqis
europeans: 16,587
4956 french
1999 brits
1828 germans
1555 italians
and then a bunch of stats that aren't really all that interesting and pretty much say the same thing .. that more people came in

[Jayme]

I wounder how many Australians go to Lebanon ( not including Lebanese-Australians)

[Jayme]

BEIRUT: "Lebanon is the safest country in the world," Tourism Minister Joseph Sarkis told a news conference here Monday as he urged Arab states to lift restrictions and travel warnings placed on Lebanon. Sarkis announced that he will soon tour the Arab world in order to make the case for lifting restrictions, adding that "the Lebanese still look forward to hosting their Arab neighbors in the manner that we have all become accustomed to."

Tourism in Lebanon dominated the conference, with Sarkis repeatedly stressing the unique cultural, historical, environmental and entertainment attractions that set Lebanon apart from the rest of the region.

During the conference, Sarkis also addressed the closure of 16 pubs and restaurants in the Gemmayzeh area by the Tourism Ministry earlier this month.

Sarkis said the decision to shut down these "touristic establishments" occurred after Gemmayzeh area business owners were cautioned time and again to accommodate some of the demands made by local residents to "reduce street noise, lower sound levels, and monitor the actions of valet services" operating in the area.

The tourism minister explained that although the situation in Gemmayzeh was initially under control after a rise in investment in 2005, the government began receiving complaints from local residents as "the entertainment sector completely took off in this historic district and residential area."

Sarkis then attributed the Tourism Ministry's reluctance to act quickly to the "poor economic situation in the country - made worse by the summer 2006 war with Israel and the ensuing political crisis - that led us to play it slow with regard to restrictions on business activity."


The minister said that several warnings were issued to businesses operating in the area, but that these were heeded by only a few owners. Sarkis explained that a protest by local residents, during which "we saw residents out in their nightgowns and pajamas demonstrating against excess disturbances" made it impossible for the ministry to continue to look the other way.

"Establishments lacking proper paperwork - nine businesses did not have either a license or even a licensing request filed at the ministry - were shut down immediately, as were establishments disregarding the warnings issued by the ministry earlier," added Sarkis.

It appears that most owners affected by the decision have already agreed to submit agreements to restrict noise levels and monitor areas near their businesses in order to reduce commotion in the area, which would be enough to reopen already licensed businesses.

But Sarkis noted that restaurants and pubs operating without a license would have to formally submit a licensing request to the ministry, in order to allow the government to evaluate whether these businesses meet required standards of operation.

"These procedures are meant to minimize the disturbances in the Gemmayzeh area," added Sarkis. "Part of Lebanon's attraction is the unique lifestyle in this region, which is why we understand where the owners are coming from and hope to [find a middle way]."

[Jayme]

BEIRUT: Lebanon's tourism sector was dealt another setback after the opposition closed all roads leading to Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport, Tourism Minister Joe Sarkis said on Wednesday. "We are missing a lot of opportunities to attract tourists to Lebanon. First Israel ruined the tourism season when it attacked Lebanon in July 2006 and now Hizbullah has spoiled all our plans to bring in visitors," Sarkis told The Daily Star in an interview.

"Thousands of Arab tourists cancelled plans to visit Lebanon even before the closure of the airport. It seems that many of them felt that the situation would deteriorate sooner or later," Sarkis said.

Nearly all airlines suspended direct flights to Beirut after the closure of roads leading to the airport.

The Tourism Ministry had expected that more than 1 million tourists would visit Lebanon this summer. Officials had traveled to several Arab countries to promote tourism and ease the fears of potential tourists.

"I visited five Arab countries a few months ago to promote tourism. But I was surprised that some of these countries were quite concerned about the political and security developments in Lebanon," Sarkis said.

He said tourism can generate more than $2 billion each year, adding that this could help to achieve growth and improve the balance of payments.

"I tried to alleviate the fears of the Arab officials and assured them that the news about Lebanon is highly exaggerated but to no avail," Sarkis said.

He said it was difficult to calculate the losses in the tourism sector over the past five days.

"In general the economic losses, including tourism, is close to $350 million in the first five days and this may go higher if there is no breakthrough in the situation," Sarkis said.

Most luxury hotels in the capital reported that room occupancy fell below 35 percent after the fighting started in Beirut.


But Sarkis said he is still pinning hopes on the Lebanese expatriates who customarily spend their summer vacations with their families here.

In the summer of 2007, more than 80,000 Lebanese expatriates visited Lebanon. But the ministry said that the number of Arab tourists last year was far below normal levels.

Sarkis and many tour operators argue that tourism should be treated as one of the main pillars of the economy.

"If the Arab League succeeds in persuading the rival politicians to start talks in Qatar then the tourism season can be saved," he said.

But Sarkis said that it would not enough to open the airport road to encourage tourists to come to Lebanon.

"I don't see the meaning of the opposition sit-in near the Grand Serail. This behavior is also scaring away tourists and hurting the business in this sensitive commercial area," he said.

The opposition started a sit-in 18 months ago in the Beirut Central District to pressure the ruling coalition to accept a national unity government.

"I can't understand the motives behind the closure of the airport roads. All Lebanese use this airport," Sarkis said.

He stressed that all regions would reap huge benefits from a good tourism season in Lebanon. "I am counting on the Lebanese expatriates to pack up their stuff and come to Lebanon once this dilemma is over," Sarkis said.

He added that Lebanon would have its best tourism season once a president is elected a new Cabinet is formed. "I hope that all factions, including the opposition, grasp the importance of tourism. Tourism will also encourage foreign investors to build more hotels in Beirut and the mountains," he said.

[dubart]

I want to visit Beirut in August, but I have no idea what's happening right now regarding this airport/opposition problem. Can anyone update, please?

There's no direct flight from any Croatian airport to Beirut... They all fly via Paris or Amsterdam or Munich and so on

[þopsï]

The airport is now open , everything is back to normal.Hopefully the political problem will be solved soon.

[Overseas Pak]

Does Lebanon get many visitors from India/Pakistan?

[þopsï]

Originally Posted by Overseas Pak

Does Lebanon get many visitors from India/Pakistan?

There are some few Indian workers here , for instance my school's gardener is Indian , so cute, so friendly

[Hassoun]

I don't think so

[Overseas Pak]

Originally Posted by Hassoun

I don't think so

That's a shame....the photos I've seen are amazing, they're missing out.

I hope to visit myself one day, once the situation returns to normal.

Vive la Liban!

[Hassoun]

U r most Welcome

[john2890]

i came across some israeli tourism statistics and realized how stupid our government is. israel receives some 2.5 million tourists every year, and that is growing steadily year by year. our economy relies heavily on the tourist sector and although one would think we're doing what we can to draw in the tourists, its a shame that the borders between lebanon and israel are closed. by closing the borders and not allowing people with israeli-stamped passports to cross into our country, we're virtually closing the border to a huge potential market. i mean the israeli population alone is well over 7/8 million, if just a small portion of those visit our country, this industry can flourish. and thats not to mention the 2.5 tourists that visit israel annually, whom will most probably visit lebanon as well if they were able to.
its just sad that our government is so fecking childish and narrow minded.

[Ramazzotti]

we need to have a REAL state before that hehe
still i share ur point of view !! we need peace...

[AmeriLEB]

Palestine, Jordan , Lebanon, and Syria..used to co-market holy land tours...they were promited by MEA ...I have a brochure.

[lebgurl]

can you scan please? I never even knew that

[AmeriLEB]

ill try to

[Jayme]

Beirut - 750 thousand Lebanese from the four corners of the earth plan to come to Lebanon after the Doha accord was announced ending the Lebanese political crises , The Lebanese ministry of tourism has announced

The Ministry reported a "hysteria in hotel and flight bookings" by Lebanese , Arab and European nationals

The expected summer economic boom was reflected at the Beirut stock exchange. The shares surged on Wednesday and Thursday . The volume of trading was very high too... Over $58 million in share values changed hands on Thursday only. The market was also fueled by the announcement of 3 investment projects exceeding one billion and 650 million dollars.


The Director General of the Ministry of Tourism, Nada Al-Sardouk said " thousands of communications were received by the Ministry of Tourism from Lebanese expatriates as soon as the Doha agreement was announced, expressing their joy and satisfaction. Most of the callers she said " were giving up on Lebanon and were planning to spend their vacations elsewhere "


The Syndicate of Owners of tourism agencies and travel in Lebanon Jean Abboud said that bookings rose sharply since the announcement of the Doha agreement . He said the flights to Beirut are now completely full until end of July , but the Lebanese and Arab Airlines agreed to increase the frequency of the flights to and from Beirut

Ms. Nora Jumblatt Chairperson of the Beiteddine ( Pictured right is Beiteddine Palace) Festivals Committee plans to announce the program of international festivals for this summer according to Ms. Sardouk

Ms Sardouk said the ministry is preparing a calendar of international festivals in Byblos , Baalbeck , Tyre, Tripoli, Zahle and other areas

Ms Sardouk also said that many officials from the Arab countries that issued travel advisories against travel to Lebanon have been calling their counterparts in th summer resort town of Aley , Bhamdoun, Sofar, Brummana and Barouk and many other resort areas to assure them that many of their nationals are planning to come and spend their summer holidays in Lebanon

According to Ms Sardouk , 2008 could turn out to be like 2004 when a record number of tourists visited Lebanon

As many as 15 million people of Lebanese origin live outside Lebanon. Brazil alone accounts for 8 million Lebanese Brazilians , which is twice the number of Lebanese that live in Lebanon