According to figures from the Lebanese interim government, the first nine months of the year registered an increase in tourists, thanks to the success of a summer campaign that welcomed 1,720,000 citizens between July, August and September last year.

Hotel activity improved the occupancy rate from 45 percent between January and September 2021 to 55 percent in the same period this year.

Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport increased passenger flow by 53 percent during the first ten months of 2022.

The officials highlighted the impact of the summer period on the increase, since in July 90 planes arrived in Beirut at a rate of 180 passengers per flight, ending in September with an average of 110 flights and an increase of 19,000 citizens per day going through the International Airport.

According to the managers, the main passenger destinations during the season were Iraq, Jordan and Egypt; meanwhile, European tourism grew attracted by ecotourism, which includes cycling, hiking and paragliding.

The Ministry of Tourism expects to receive half a million visitors during the winter season until next March in the context of Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Under the “Eid Al-Shtawiyya” (“Let it be repeated in winter”) campaign, industry authorities expect billions of dollars to come in, as confirmed by the high number of airline tickets sold and the number of scheduled flights.

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