Lebanon’s tourism boom has seen Thrifty Car Rental achieve an impressive 30 per cent increase in revenue for the summer period, compared to the same time last year.
In January the New York Times rated Beirut as the number one place to visit in 2009.
Since then, tourists have been flocking in and Lebanon’s Tourism Ministry reported that over a million tourists visited during summer, with a noted 28 per cent increase in tourism from outside the Arab countries for the months of July and August.
“Our customers primarily include Lebanese expatriates from Europe, North America, Canada and Australia,” explained Elie Khouri, general director, Thrifty Car Rental, Lebanon.
“As they work abroad and are already very familiar with the country, they very often prefer to rent a car.”
According to The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), tourism accounts for 9.3 per cent of Lebanon’s GDP and this is set to increase to 25.7 per cent by 2019.
“This summer was a good time for travel, as airlines dropped their rates and travellers availed themselves of the many promotions on offer for accommodation and transport,” said Sam Eltibi, executive director, Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, MENA and Asia Pacific.
He added that political stability was key.