In the past few years, the tourism sector has been affected by the turmoil that has hit the region and spilled over into Lebanon, thus translating into a lower turnout of Arab and foreign tourists as well as Lebanese expatriates. Even those who are resident in Lebanon exhibited more vigilance in their movements across the country.

The decline in the number of tourists is illustrated in Table 1where the following can be deduced:

• Jeita Grotto is the most visited tourist destination attracting around 40% to 50% of the total influx, followed by the monuments of Baalbeck at 16%, then Byblos and Beiteddine at 13% and 11% respectively. Tourists are not apparently influenced by the prices charged to visit a particular site. Jeita Grotto which charges the highest entrance fees (as illustrated in Table 3) ranks first among all other natural and historic landmarks in its tourist turnout.
• Between 2010 and 2012, the number of visitors declined by 386,395 people or 40.7%. Should the current trend continue, the decline this year is likely to reach 54% as compared to 2010, noting that the sharpest decreases were registered in Tripoli (69%), Tyre (57%), Baalbeck (48.2%), Beiteddine (45%) and Jeita Grotto (44.2%).

Source: Lebanese Ministry of Tourism

Visitors by Nationality

Lebanon’s archeological and natural sites do not attract the Lebanese only. In fact, some of these tourist destinations draw larger numbers of Arabs and foreigners than locals despite the security situation in the country. In 2012, those constituted 51% of Baalbeck’ tourist turnout, a percentage that would have been higher had the political and security circumstances been more encouraging.

Source: Lebanese Ministry of Tourism

Entry Fees

Tickets for natural and historic tourist attractions in Lebanon differ in price depending on the significance of the site. The Jeita Grotto is run by a private company and has high overhead expenses, and thus charges the highest entry fees as illustrated in Table 3.

Source: Lebanese Ministry of Tourism