Lebanon

IHG Hotels & Resorts has announced the signing of a franchise agreement with DIA SARL to debut IHG’s premium brand, voco, in the Lebanese capital.

Despite growing fears of civil unrest, millions of people are expected to visit Jerusalem this year as part of a religious pilgrimage or religious tourism to the Holy Land.

SITA and Middle East Airlines–Air Liban (MEA) have renewed a technology contract and moved the airport's baggage reconciliation system (BRS) at Rafic Hariri International Airport - Beirut to…

SITA and Middle East Airlines–Air Liban (MEA) have renewed a technology contract and moved the airport’s baggage reconciliation system (BRS) at Rafic Hariri International Airport…

Sunset Hospitality Group is further expanding its growing portfolio in the region with the announcement of the introduction of its first operational outlet in Beirut, Lebanon with Azure…

Leading travel agency in Lebanon Kurban Travel signs agreement with Sabre Corporation to create an intuitive and personalised experience for its travellers.

From 19 January, Gulf Air will implement a modified daily flight schedule to and from the Lebanese capital Beirut in response to passenger demand from across the GCC region. Catering to…

Warwick Hotels and Resorts has opened its fourth property in Lebanon. The Mist Hotel & Spa by Warwick is located in the mountain town of Ehden in northern Lebanon, on the southwestern…

Leading Lebanon-based travel agency El Ajouz Travel has renewed its 10-year exclusive relationship with travel technology provider, Sabre Travel Network Middle East (STNME), to help pursue…

Travelport has hosted some of Abu Dhabi’s leading travel agencies at a series of innovation workshops at the Travelport office in Beirut, Lebanon. Among the attendees were…

Sabre Travel Network Middle East (STNME) expanded its presence in Lebanon with the opening of offices in Beirut to support the company’s growth in recent years.   STNME, which has…

In an effort to recognise contributions of its key agents, Travelport along with Middle East Airlines (MEA) recently hosted an appreciation evening. The event witnessed attendance…

The Coral Beirut Al Hamra Hotel will soon launch a new menu at the Snug Restaurant. The culinary team has retained a few old dishes, but that will be served with a twist. The new menu…

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group recently announced that it will manage a new luxury hotel and branded residences currently under development in Beirut. The new property is scheduled to…

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc recently announced the opening of Grand Hills in the mountain village of Broumana, Lebanon. Owned by Mouawad Village Broumana Sal, Grand…

Radisson Blu Martinez Hotel recently attained its premium certification from Safehotels. The hotel is the first hotel to obtain such a credit in Lebanon. “Safety and Security play an…

Lebanon tourism will soon get a boost. Tourism minister Michel Pharaon recently announced that the ministry will focus on rural tourism to attract the Lebanese diaspora, as reported…

A recent survey from HVS reported that average occupancy rate at Beirut hotels stood at 56.1% during the 1996-2014 period. This is the second-lowest rate among 14 cities in the Middle…

Coral Beirut Al Hamra Hotel recently rolled out its smoking rooms. The hotel has dedicated two floors of the property for such guests. general manager of Coral Beirut Al Hamra Hotel…

The first Air Arabia Jordan flight departed its base at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman on Monday.  The airline’s inaugural flight to Kuwait City was marked by a ceremony…

Recent statistics from Lebanon’s tourism ministry state that tourist arrivals increased for the ninth month in a row in February 2015, up year-on-year by 20.5% (175, 859 visitors) in the…

Lebanon tourism is witnessing a positive growth trend. The country reported that number of tourists in the month of February 2015 surged by 18.4%. The statistics also showed a…

Despite regional tension and surrounding conditions, Middle East Airlines has maintained a profitable growth in 2014 according to its chairman. “Our unaudited profits for 2014 were…

Lebanon is gearing up for a packed festive season. Recent statistics show that passenger traffic at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport is expected to total nearly seven…

Passenger traffic at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport increased by four percent in the first three quarters of 2014 over last year, but volume of air freight suffered a 17%…

A land deal is underway to expand Rafik Hariri International Airport, and will soon see enhanced security measures to handle increase in number of travellers, the public works and…

In a bid to upgrade their MICE offering Radisson Blu Martinez Hotel has introduced Touch-It screens in their meeting rooms. This is a first for Lebanon. “The majority of our visitors…

Lebanon is launching a new, ambitious strategy to promote rural tourism. “We need to begin marketing not just the country – but destinations within Lebanon,” said tourism minister…

Lebanon recently welcomes 18 female Russian tour guides in a effort to cater to the growing number of Russian tourists to the country, as reported by Daily Star. Tourism minister Michel…

The lion’s share of Lebanon’s summer festivals – the country’s yearly cavalcade of blue-chip performing talent and tourism dollars – are situated outside the capital. Since 2012,…

Authorities in Saudi Arabia have brought hope to the Lebanese tourism industry after lifting a long-standing travel advisory against trips to the country. Travel advisories warning of…

The number of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) cases is spiking, taking the global infection rate to 571 confirmed cases, including 171 deaths, since April 2012. The World Health…

Abu Dhabi-based Cristal Hotels & Resorts aims to triple its portfolio within two years, as it presses forward with aggressive expansion plans. The hotelier expects to increase its…

 Lebanese national carrier, Middle East Airlines (MEA), will launch second daily flights to London Heathrow this month, even as it battles with declining passenger numbers. MEA is…

Lebanon’s tourism industry faces a third dismal season with the on-going regional and local turmoil. However as per reports, the new tourism minister is looking to expand beyond…

The number of passengers at Rafik Hariri International Airport declined seven percent in February 2014 compared with 2013, stated the general directorate of Civil Aviation. “The…

Travelport recently announced renewal of its global full content agreement with Middle East Airlines. Effective immediately, the agreement provides Travelport-connected agents…

Recent statistics show that total spending by tourists to Lebanon increased by four percent in the fourth quarter of 2013, compared to 2012. These recent statistics were revealed by…

Rafik Hariri International Airport registered over five percent growth in number of passengers in 2013. This was confirmed by General Directorate of Civil Aviation. The number of…

Tourist arrivals at the Beirut airport dropped 6.6% in 2013 compared to the previous year and 40% on a cumulative basis since 2010. These were figures released by the Tourism Ministry,…

Thomas Cook has sold off its Egyptian and Lebanon based companies for GBP6.5 million. The two businesses have been sold to Bahrain-based Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo (Holdings) Co WLL…

The number of tourists to Lebanon dropped by 10% in the first eight months of 2013 compared to the same period last year, as reported by The Daily Star. European visitors topped the list…

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) Staybridge Suites is now operational in Beirut. This launch marks the entrance of the brand into Lebanon. The suites are located in Verdun Street in…

Travelport has renewed its long-term distribution agreements for Galileo and Worldspan GDS platforms in Lebanon.  Under the new multi-year deals, Gate 7 and Travelport-Lebanon will…

The recent kidnappings of two Turkish pilots is weighing heavily on Lebanon’s tourism sector, which has already lost US$40 million in revenues during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, as reported in…

Tourist numbers in Lebanon have plunged by 27% over security concerns and travel restrictions from neighbouring Arab states.  The dip comes during the state's peak season, but tourism…

Two Turkish Airlines crew members have reportedly been kidnapped by armed men in Lebanon while working on Beirut’s Airport Road. The incident, which has been confirmed by both…

Recent statistics revealed by Jazeera Airways for June 2013 stated that the airline was leading across routes serving Beirut, Amman, Sharm El Sheikh, Assiut, Luxor, Sohag, Dubai and Bahrain.…

Cyprus Tourism is keen to boost tourism and investment into the country.  In a recent meet, president of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades met with George Chehwane, chairman and CEO of Plus…

Wyndham Hotel Group announced the opening of its hotel Ramada Plaza Beirut Raouche in Lebanon. Subsequently, the company also unveiled its foray into Iraq with the newly-built, 71-room…

Air traffic controllers at Lebanon’s Rafic Hariri International Airport are to stage a two-hour strike on Thursday. The group added it would take further action if the country’s parliament…

The Hertz Corporation has announced the appointment of new General Sales Agents (GSA) in Jordan and Lebanon to grow its outbound car rentals from the two Levant countries. Eastern Travel…

Excel Travel announced its exclusive partnership with AbouMerhi Cruises to offer Egyptians access to luxurious southern European holiday destinations aboard recently renovated Orient Queen…

Staff at Beirut’s international airport have warned the government that they will join strike action by civil servants and teachers due to the delay in referring a new wage scale draft law…

In keeping with global growth trends, The Golden Tulip Middle East & North Africa is planning to open its fourth property in Lebanon – the Golden Tulip Jiyeh Marina Resort. The new…

With 12,349 rooms in 35 properties in active construction, Hilton Worldwide will be aggressively expanding its presence in the MEA region in the next two-three years.  In 2012, Hilton…

According to the latest STR Global report for September 2012, the Middle East/Africa region reported mixed performance.  The region's occupancy increased 5.4% to 60.7% during the month,…

VEER Boutique Hotel and Resort have announced the soft launch of its project which is due to open in 2013 in Kaslik. "We are delighted to open VEER this year and see our guests' feedback,"…

Middle East Airlines-Air Liban (MEA) recently inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for five A320neo and five A321neo aircraft plus eight options. MEA will announce its engine choice at…

Harley-Davidson Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have recently announced the launch of the first 2012 ‘MENA Harley Days’ in Lebanon this September. “Lebanon is the country for an event…

Travelport has strengthened its partnership Nakhal and Cie in Lebanon. The renewed agreement will see the Beirut-headquartered agency deploying Travelport's Galileo system for another three…

This summer, Phoenicia Hotel will roll out the Beirut Art Fair and invites GCC residents to participate in the festivities. Held annually from the July 5th – 8th, the festival stands out as…

 Value Retail, the developer and operator of the nine Chic Outlet Shopping® Villages has aggressive plans for the Middle East market. With the first quarter of this year showing a strong…

Lufthansa German Airlines recently announced its new three weekly non-stop services between Beirut and Berlin, providing further boost to the airline's destination and capacity. The new…

ImperialJet introduces its Shared Ownership programme, a service unique to ImperialJet and the first of its type in the industry. Alongside this launch, the company also introduced its…

Qatar Airways is gearing up for its 2012 Middle East route expansion this week with the addition of Iraq, followed by Baghdad, which will join the airline's international routes over a…

Kabul will be more accessible post the strategic code-share agreement between Etihad Airways and Safi Airways. Under the deal, Etihad Airways has placed its two-letter 'EY' code on the four…

The Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) announced a host of the first of its 2013 regional forums starting with Beirut. The forums are part of its vision to bridge…

The business growth opportunities in the MENA region pertaining to the global aviation industry will be discussed and debated at the forthcoming Airport Show-2012, scheduled to take place in…

The eighth edition of the Beirut Boat Show 2012 was recently launched at the Royal Hotel-Dbayeh. Albert Aoun, president of the Board and general director of IFP said: "Despite the unrest…

Wild Discovery, subsidiary of Johnny R Saadé Holdings, has deployed Travelport's Galileo web services (GWS) solution to launch its online travel portal and booking platform…

Etihad Airways is celebrating eight years of flying to Beirut, the airline’s first commercial destination. In keeping with the achievement, James Hogan, president and CEO, lead a high-level…

Cristal Hotels and Resorts have announced plans to expand adding three new hotel openings this summer 2012 across the Middle East; in addition to their two operating hotels in Abu Dhabi.…

In an effort to strengthen its position in the Middle East and North Africa region, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc has announced a pipeline of 40 new hotels in addition to an…

Etihad Airways is offering up to 25% off air fares from 26 markets around the globe. The fares are applicable on Coral Economy and Pearl Business Class bookings made between May 1st and May…

Coral Hotels and Resorts announced plans to open Coral Boutique Hotel Baghdad in Iraq. The deluxe property will be operated by Coral under a management agreement with United Iraqi Trading…

Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc has signed an agreement with BCD Co. to manage a new-build Sheraton hotel in Erbil, Iraq. Scheduled to open in 2015, the Sheraton Erbil Hotel will…

Jumeirah Restaurants LLC, the branded restaurant division within the Jumeirah Group, continued its global expansion with the signing of two license agreements, one with affiliates of the EQ…

The number of tourists to Lebanon fell 7.9% in the first quarter of 2012 compared to last year, according to figures issued by the Central Administration of Statistics over the weekend. The…

Swiss-Belhotel International will be announcing the addition of three new Middle East properties to its rapidly expanding regional portfolio at the forthcoming Arabian Travel Market (ATM).…

This summer Coral Hotels & Resorts is offering guests the chance to save US$100 per night by booking their stays online.Salim Touma, VP, Sales & Revenue Management, HMH - Hospitality…

Cristal Hotels & Resorts has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bliss 3000 SAL to operate the latter's property in Beirut, Lebanon. The agreement was sealed during Arabian…

Oman Air has reported that it saw a 31% increase in passengers in 2008. According to airline statistics, the Muscat-based carrier served 1.98 million passengers last year, compared with…