Figures compiled by the Ministry of Tourism indicate that the number of incoming visitors to Lebanon totaled 1,018,892 tourists in the first seven  months of 2023, constituting an increase of 26% from 809,244 tourists in  the first seven months of 2022 and a surge of 116.5% from 470,666 visitors  in the first seven months 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, 209,796 in June,  and 267,702 in July 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,  154,740 in June, and 238,506 in July 2022. This constituted increases of  41.8% in January, 26.4% in February, 21.6% in March, 41% in April, 24%  in May, 35.6% in June, and 12.2% in July 2023 from the corresponding  months of the previous year. The figures exclude Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian arrivals.  Visitors from European countries totaled 423,989 tourists and accounted for  41.6% of incoming visitors the first seven months of 2023, followed by those  from Arab countries with 253,107 visitors (24.8%), the Americas with  216,955 tourists (21.3%), Asia with 48,909 visitors (4.8%), Oceania with  41,712 visitors (4.1%), and Africa with 36,153 tourists (3.5%). Further, the number of visitors from Asia surged by 48.8% in the first  seven months of 2023 from the same period last year, followed by those from Europe (+33%), Oceania (+31%), the Americas (+22%),the Arab countries (+16%), and Africa (+15.5%).  On a country basis, tourists from Iraq accounted for 12% of visitors in the first seven months of 2023, followed by visitors from the  United States (10%), France (8.7%), Canada and Germany (8.5% each), Sweden (4.3%), Jordan (4.2%), Egypt (4%), England (3.5%),  Türkiye (2.2%), Kuwait (1.7%), Italy (1.6%), Brazil (1.4%), Venezuela (0.4%), Saudi Arabia (0.3%), and the UAE (0.06%); while other  countries accounted for the remaining 28.3%.  The increase in the number of visitor arrivals in the first seven months 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, 4 - 9 September 2023