President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, met Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati, today at Baabda Palace.

Latest developments and ongoing contacts to form the government were deliberated.

After the meeting, Premier Mikati left Baabda Palace without making any statement.

Minister Nassar:

The President met Tourism Minister Walid Nassar and was briefed on the record of the tourist season in the summer, especially in terms of the numbers of those who came to Lebanon and the figures recorded.

Minister Nassar also briefed the President on the ministry’s plan for the coming fall and winter seasons.

Statement:

After the meeting, Minister Nassar said:

“I was honored to visit of the President of the Republic and I briefed him on the results of the summer tourist season, and of the numbers of arrivals to Lebanon, who exceeded one and a half million, in addition to the economic wheel that was recorded according to the statistics and figures of economists, 4.5 billion dollars.

A plan was also discussed for the Ministry of Tourism for the upcoming fall and winter seasons and the projects that the ministry will launch soon, in addition to local political issues”.

Questions & Answers:

Question: Are there any promising tourist data for the next season?

Answer: “Of course, in the winter there are sports and basic tourism projects in Lebanon, including skiing, for example.  Therefore, the ministry has developed a plan and will start adopting some projects in the framework of sports and leisure tourism.  Sports tourism is very important, especially as the State of Qatar will witness the hosting of the major sporting event represented by the Fifa World Football Championship. We are working to ensure that Lebanon has an important role in this tournament so as to attract a large number of Lebanese wishing to go to Qatar to attend the match”.

About hotel establishments dealing with tourists in the summer, Minister Nassar said: “The work of tourism establishments, especially hotels and guest houses, was very active. We also know that some 5-star hotels are closed due to the explosion of the Beirut port, but what compensated for the absence of these hotels is the presence of guest houses. We have conducted statistics and very soon there will be a syndicate for guest houses in Lebanon after the number of homes exceeded 130. The summer season was very prosperous and the number of reservations was relatively high”.