The number of tourists grew strongly year-on-year by 30 percent, with the total number of tourists reaching 562,623, the figures showed.

Arabs constituted, once again, the bulk of tourists visiting the country, accounting for 40 percent of the total figure, totaling 243,000 tourists.

The number of Jordanians coming to the country has grown by  over half to 17,690 tourists in first four months, constituting the largest figure among tourists from Arab countries.  Growth in numbers of Jordanian visitors is largely attributed to the abolishment of the visa entries between the two countries.

Tourists from Saudi Arabia, rose significantly in number by 64 percent, to 6,270 visitors, and UAE tourists increased in number by 30 percent reaching more than 4,000 visitor until the end of April, the figures showed. The number of Europeans, visiting Lebanon, rose 28 percent to 135,022 tourists from 105,947 last year in the same period, figures said.

Supported by the growth in tourist-numbers, occupancy rates in hotels around Lebanon have also grown, varying according to the classification of the hotel and its location.

In Beirut, the occupancy rates in 43 hotels reached 49.6 percent, still much higher than occupancy rates in other tourist regions.

For instance, occupancy rates at 56 hotels in Mount Lebanon reached 26 percent, showed the figures, while occupancy levels in three hotels in Bekaa reached ten percent, and in two hotels in South Lebanon, the occupancy was at 14 percent.

According to the Ministry’s statistics, occupancy rates in hotels in North Lebanon reached 16 percent (three hotels).
Highest hotel occupancy was in two-star hotels (38 percent), followed by the occupancy rate in five-star hotels (37.8 percent), and by the rate four-star hotels, (31.8 percent), and then by occupancy in three-star hotels (18.5 percent).  

The average occupancy rates in furnished apartments located in Beirut reached 59 percent in first-class, furnished apartments, and 77 percent in second-class apartments.

The Occupancy level in furnished apartments located in Mount Lebanon reached 23.7 percent in first-class furnished apartments, and 4 percent in second-class apartments.