Figures compiled by the Ministry of Tourism indicate that the number of incoming visitors to Lebanon totaled 751,190 tourists in the first half of 2023,  constituting an increase of 31.6% from 570,738 tourists in the first half of  2022 and a surge of 157.6% from 291,570 visitors in the first half of 2021.  The number of incoming visitors reached 88,378 in January, 85,682 in February, 100,727 in March, 123,399 in April, 143,208 in May, and 209,796 in  June 2023. In  comparison, they totaled 62,340 visitors in January, 67,800 in  February, 82,810 in March, 87,579 in April, 115,469 in May, and 154,740 in  June 2022. This constituted increases of 41.8% in January, 26.4% in February, 21.6% in March, 40.9% in April, 24% in May, and 35.6% in June 2023  from the corresponding months of the previous year.   In addition, tourist arrivals stood at 274,787 visitors in the first quarter and  at 476,403 in the second quarter of 2023, relative to 212,950 visitors in the  first quarter and 357,788 in the second quarter of 2022. This represented increases of 29% in the first quarter and of 33.2% in the second quarter of 2023  from the corresponding quarters of the previous year. The figures exclude  Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian arrivals.  Visitors from European countries totaled 301,587 tourists and accounted for 40% of incoming visitors the first half of 2023, followed  by those from Arab countries with 196,115 visitors (26%), the Americas with 156,449 tourists (20.8%), Asia with 39,613 visitors (5.3%),  Oceania with 29,510 visitors (3.9%), and Africa with 27,857 tourists (3.7%). Further, the number of visitors from Asia surged by 56%  in the first half of 2023 from the same period last year, followed by those from Europe (+38.8%), Oceania (+30.5%), the  Americas  (+29.3%), the Arab countries (+22.4%), and Africa (+15.7).   On a country basis, tourists from Iraq accounted for 12.8% of visitors in the first half of 2023, followed by visitors from the United  States (11%), France (8.4%), Germany (7.5%), Canada (6.9%), Egypt (4.5%), Jordan (4.3%), Sweden (4.1%), England (3.3%), Türkiye  (2.5%), Kuwait and Italy (1.7%), Brazil (1.4%), Venezuela (0.5%), Saudi Arabia (0.3%), and the UAE (0.06%); while other  countries  accounted for the remaining 29%.   The increase in the number of visitor arrivals in the first half of 2023 is due to the resumption of normal activity following the lifting  of lockdown and social distancing measures in the country that the authorities imposed to contain the spread of the coronavirus, to the  relaxation of travel restrictions in the main country sources of visitors to Lebanon, as well as to promotion campaigns by the Ministry  of Tourism and to the competitive advantages that Lebanon presents in terms of the combination of attractiveness and pricing. (ICE BEIRUT)

Fonte notizia: Byblos Bank, Lebanon This Week, 31 July - 5 August 2023