Tourism in Lebanon - Statistics and Economy

Statistics and Economy

Tourism was once a very important contributor to Lebanon's economy, accounting for almost 20 percent of the GDP in the 2 decades before the start of the civil war. Since the end of the war, the sector has managed to revive somewhat, but tourism has yet to return to its pre-war levels. Tourism in 1999 accounted for 9 percent of the GDP. In 2001, the tourism sector was one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy, with the number of tourists visiting Lebanon between 1996 and 2000 growing at the rate of 14 percent annually. In 2003 the tourism industry contributed 6.374 billion U.S. dollars to the Lebanese economy and in 2005 the receipts per capita reached 1,433 U.S. dollars. In 2006 the ministry of Tourism counted 373,037 admissions to the country's main ministry run touristic sites. In 2009, Lebanon hosted about two million tourists, a record number, passing the previous 1974 record of 1.4 million tourists. The number of tourists grew by 39% over the previous year, the largest increase in any country according the World Tourism Organization. Most of the increase is due to heightened political stability and security. Lebanon was also featured by several international media outlets, including the New York Times, CNN, and Paris Match, as a top tourist destination at the beginning of 2009. Lebanon's annual income from tourism reached $7 billion, about 20 percent of gross domestic product, according to the Minister of Tourism. Despite the recent surge in popularity as a tourist destination, the U.S. State Department continues to "urge U.S. citizens to avoid all travel to Lebanon due to current safety and security concerns".