According to the Ministry of Tourism, the number of tourists that visited Lebanon in the first half of the year (H1) increased by a yearly 7.70% and totaled 723,105. The progress witnessed in H1 2016 is mainly linked to the gradual recovery of tourism from the very low base reached in 2013 and 2014.
Still, the partial stabilization of the security condition boosted the number of European incomers. The number of European visitors, constituting a third of total tourists, improved by a yearly 10.24% to 238,345 by June. French tourists saw their number rise by an annual 8.1% to 60,720, and visitors from Germany and Sweden also rose in number by 16.73% and 16.13% to 32,646 and 14,878, respectively, by June 2016.
Arab tourists (30.2% of the total) stood second with their number barely rising by 0.5% year-on-year to 218,432 by June this year. In details, the number of Iraqi tourists grew by an annual 20.6% to 98,858, while the number of number of Egyptian tourists rose by an annual 4.26% to 36,670 by June 2016. In fact, Arab incomers to Lebanon were mainly nationals of countries having similar security situation and are either escaping the turmoil in their countries or looking for a job in Lebanon.
However, knowing that GCC governments warned their citizens from visiting Lebanon due to the insecurity spreading in the region, the number of incomers from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE all recorded annual falls of 37.69%, 41.14% and 64.44% to reach 14,415, 9,121, and 1,279, respectively.
American tourists, representing the third largest share of the total (18% of total tourists), also increased by an annual 12.74% to 129,551 by June 2016. The number of visitors from the US and Canada rose from 58,560 and 40,526 by June 2015 to 66,818 and 44,715 by June 2016, respectively.
Number of Tourists in H1
Source: Ministry of Tourism