June 13, 2011- Beirut is expected to be the 9th tourist destination in the region this year among

21 cities in the Middle East & Africa (ME&A) region, according to the MasterCard

Worldwide Index of Global Destination Cities for 2011.

The index, accounted by Lebanon This Week - the economic publication of the Byblos Bank

Group -, forecasts a total of 1.7 million visitors this year, placing Beirut ahead of Tunis and

behind Amman.

The index positions Beirut 2^nd in terms of projected tourists’ spending for 2011 ($6.5

billion), preceded only by Dubai ($7.8 billion). It expects visitors' spending to grow by around

20 percent in 2011, constituting the 8^th fastest growth rate in the ME&A region.

Dubai ranked first in the ME&A region and came in 9^th place globally in the number of

incoming visitors with some 7.9 million tourists.

Europe is projected to be the most attractive destination for tourists in 2011 with 10 European

cities classified among the global top 20 destinations in terms of visitor arrivals.

MasterCard said that some of its forecasts will have to be revised following the upheaval in the

MENA region.