BEIRUT - Lebanon hosted 690 180 tourists during the first seven months of 2008. This number reveals an increase of 28% compared to last year’s numbers.

Among those visitors, 253 557 came from the Arab world, and they represented by themselves 36.7% of the tourists who came to Lebanon between January and July.

European tourists were straight after with 28.1%, then the Americans (14.7%), the Asians (14%), and far behind came the Africans with nothing but 3.2% of tourists in Lebanon.

In July 2008, the country witnessed a peak of 216 606 visits. This number increased by 70% compared to the one of last year at the same period. During this month, 43.9% of tourists came from the Arab world and 27.7% from Europe.

According to the President of the travelling agencies syndicate, the plane tickets price increased by 50% this summer.