Thrifty Lebanon reports boost in summer revenue

In January 2009, the New York Times rated Beirut as the number one place to visit in 2009. Since then, tourists have been flooding Lebanon to experience the Mediterranean splendor of the country, often referred to as the 'Paris' or 'Switzerland' of the Gulf.

Lebanon's tourism ministry has reported that over a million tourists visited Lebanon during summer this year, with a noted 28% increase in tourist 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. As they work abroad, and are already very familiar with the country, they very often prefer to rent a car, leading to many of our cars being rented out for an entire month at a time - most popular are the small to mid-size cars. During Eid, we had cars booked out for seven to ten days,"

explained Elie Khouri, General Director, Thrifty Car Rental, Lebanon.

According to The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), tourism accounts for 9.3% of Lebanon's GDP, and this is set to increase to 25.7% by 2019.

"This summer was a good time for travel, as airlines drop their rates, and travelers 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. "Particularly in Lebanon, the ease of civil conflict and political tension has created stability in the country this summer. This has lead to previously unseen levels of tourists flooding the country, which in return has created a surge in business activity."