Arab tourism grew by 34 percent

Around 130,600 Arabs visited the country in the months of July, August and September, growing by 34 percent compared to last year, according to a Ministry of Tourism (MoT) report. The total number of tourists during this period reached 433,300, compared to 353,500 last year, showing a growth of 24 percent.

The MoT’s statistics said that visitors reached just over a million, during the first nine months of 2014. The number grew by four percent, compared to last year. Europeans are number one visitors so far, with over 344,000 tourists, followed by Arabs with 328,000.

The Global Blue Insights into Tourist Spending report of Q3 2014 said that Saudis topped the list of spenders,- accounting for 39 percent of overall expenditures. They were followed by Emiratis and Kuwaitis. Comparing the expenditures between the last two summer seasons, this year’s was better by nine percent. But the overall expenditures throughout the nine months, dropped by one percent year-on-year.


The Ernest & Young Middle East Hotel Benchmark Survey Report of September 2014 said that Beirut’s hospitality market performance has increased in RevPar (Revenue per Available Room) by 62 percent during September, compared to the same period last year. This was mainly due to an increase in average occupancy from 35 percent in September 2013 to 56 percent in 2014. However, the year-on-year occupancy for the first nine months of the year dropped by two percent. The average room rate dropped from $169 to $162. The figures of the MoT noted that during September 2014, the country hosted 121,400 visitors, up by 40 percent compared to last year.