Car rental company reaps the benefits of tourism boom in Lebanon

Beirut, Lebanon, 01 October 2009 - Thrifty Car Rental, Lebanon, today announced an impressive growth in revenue for the summer period, achieving more than a 30% increase in revenue compared to the same period last year.

In January 2009, the New York Times rated Beirut as the number one place to visit in 2009. Since then, tourists have been flooding Lebanon to experience the Mediterranean splendor of the country, often referred to as the 'Paris' or 'Switzerland' of the Gulf. Lebanon's tourism ministry has reported that over a million tourists visited Lebanon during summer this year, with a noted 28% increase in tourist from outside the Arab countries for the months of July and August.

"Our customers primarily include Lebanese expatriates from Europe, North America, Canada and Australia," explained Elie Khouri, General Director, Thrifty Car Rental, Lebanon. "As they work abroad, and are already very familiar with the country, they very often prefer to rent a car, leading to many of our cars being rented out for an entire month at a time - most popular are the small to mid-size cars. During Eid, we had cars booked out for seven to ten days."

According to The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), tourism accounts for 9.3 percent of Lebanon's GDP, and this is set to increase to 25.7 percent by 2019.

"This summer was a good time for travel, as airlines drop their rates, and travelers availed themselves of the many promotions on offer for accommodation and transport," said Sam Eltibi, Executive Director, Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, MENA and Asia Pacific. "Particularly in Lebanon, the ease of civil conflict and political tension has created stability in the country this summer. This has lead to previously unseen levels of tourists flooding the country, which in return has created a surge in business activity."

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About Thrifty Car Rental
Thrifty Car Rental is a subsidiary of Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc., a Fortune 1000 Company headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Together with its corporately-owned locations and those of its franchise owners, the Thrifty Car Rental brand serves value-conscious travelers from more than 1,028 locations in 68 countries. For additional information, visit www.dtag.com or www.thrifty.com. 

For more information, please contact:
Sam Eltibi
Executive Director, Middle East and North Africa
Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc.
Tel: +971 4 3328833
Fax: +971 4 3324454
E-mail: sam.eltibi@thrifty.com

Natasha D'Souza       
Consultant
The Portsmouth Group
Tel: +971 4 369 3575
Fax: +971 4 360 4511
Email: natasha.dsouza@theportsmouthgroup.com

© Press Release 2009