STORY: Tourists flock to Lebanon as summer season begins
DATELINE: June 24, 2023
LENGTH: 00:05:06
LOCATION: Beirut
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Lebanon's tourist sites
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): BANIN, Iraqi tourist
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): NICOLE, Swedish tourist
4. various of Lebanon
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): ZEINAB, Iraqi tourist
6. various of Lebanon

STORYLINE:

As summer starts, international tourists have begun their trips to Lebanon, bringing hope for a booming tourism season in the crisis-hit country.

Tourists from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and Europe flock to different areas, including Byblos, Batroun, Tripoli, Naqoura, and the famous southern city of Sidon, to enjoy Lebanon's beauty.

The Sidon Sea Castle is one of the most prominent historical sites in the port city of Sidon, which was built in the 13th century.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): BANIN, Iraqi tourist
"Of course, I come to this place in Lebanon, the Sidon Sea Castle. It is one of the most beautiful places I have visited, for it is directly by the sea. It's so beautiful, and I recommend all the tourists to come and visit this place. It is amazing, and I have taken amazing photos. It is a historical place where you can recall the history in every corner. I recommend tourists to visit this place. Lebanon is great."

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): NICOLE, Swedish tourist
"It is very interesting, and I prefer this (rather than) the other place. It is near the sea and beautiful."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): ZEINAB, Iraqi tourist
"The Sidon castle is one of the most beautiful and unique places, honestly. It is a historical place. It is a beautiful place. It has preserved many historical things."

The tourism sector contributes to a great extent to the country's economy, reaching 2.16 billion U.S. dollars in the first half of 2022 and 3.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2021.

The number of incoming visitors to Lebanon totaled 1.46 million in 2022, constituting a surge of 64.7 percent from 889,953 tourists in 2021 and a jump of 254 percent from 414,168 visitors in 2020, according to the country's tourism ministry.

Lebanon's Tourism Minister Walid Nassar said earlier this year that he expected over 1.2 million tourists to visit Lebanon this summer while revenues could reach 3 billion U.S. dollars.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beirut.
(XHTV)