Tourist arrivals reached 973,700 in February 2008, up 6.3 percent from January 2008, and 25.6 percent from February 2007. The number of nights spent in February 2008 reached 8.9 millions, up 9.6 percent from a year before. Arrivals have been witnessing double-digit growth since February 2007. Tourist arrivals totaled 11.1 million in 2007, compared to 9.1 million in 2006.

Betlone Financial said “Despite the first quarter of the calendar year being a slow period, compared to other seasons, the drop in arrivals has slowed, compared to previous years, when arrivals dropped by a higher magnitude, reflecting the strong growth in arrivals generally, and the growth in Arab and European tourism in off-seasons.s