Reuters: Just a week after Lebanese leaders sealed a political deal to end 18 months of conflict, restaurants have re-opened, hotel bookings have soared and tourists are back.
"The deal has had an excellent impact. We've had a flood of reservations and we're expecting a very good season," said Nizar Alouf, a member of the Lebanese Hotel Owners Association.
Tourism Minister Joseph Sarkis said he expected between 1.3 million to 1.6 million visitors to Lebanon this year compared to around 1 million in 2007 and 2006.
"After the (presidential) election, things are much better regarding tourism activity this summer ... which is due to the stability in the coming time," Sarkis told Reuters.
"Reservations have picked up very fast ... once we had the deal we covered our loss of 10 per cent and gained 20 per cent of bookings in flights to Lebanon," said Nizar Khoury, head of commercial at Lebanon's flagship Middle East Airlines.
Khoury said he expected a 20 per cent increase in passengers to Lebanon from last year's 450,000 to 500,000. But Khoury said airplane reservations from those countries were picking up fast too.
Lebanon, whose economy is expected to grow more than 3 per cent this year because of the deal, is one of the most popular destinations in the Middle East for Arabs seeking its relaxed atmosphere, sandy beaches and mild weather.
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