Tourism activity in Lebanon up by 7.3% in the first quarter of 2008
Figures released by the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism indicate that the number of tourists totaled 193,778 in the first quarter of 2008, up by 7.3% from the same period of 2007.
Dr Priyan P. Khakhar ponders why a location that should, on the face of it, be considered a risky investment proposition manages to maintain a booming, buoyant property market.
Number of property sales in Lebanon up by 32.1% in the first two months of the year
Figures released by the Directorate of Real Estate showed a year-on-year decrease of 8.4% in the number of property transactions to 21,257 in the first two months of 2008.
Construction permits in Lebanon up by 33.4% in the first quarter of 2008
Figures released by the Order of Engineers of Beirut and Tripoli reveal that construction permits totaled 2,147,830 million square meters in the first quarter of 2008, up by 33.4% from 1,609,648 square meters in the same period of the previous year.
A new report by the International Monetary Fund has found that economic growth in the Middle East will probably accelerate to 6.1% this year from 5.8% in 2007, even as inflationary pressures rise, reported Bloomberg.
Car sales in Lebanon rise by 66% in the first quarter of 2008
Figures released by the Association of Automobile Importers in Lebanon indicate that a total of 5,274 new passenger cars were sold in the first quarter of 2008, an increase of 65.9% from the 3,179 vehicles sold in the first quarter of 2007.
Kuwait’s Sultan Center acquires Monoprix and Géant supermarkets in Lebanon for $97m
Sultan Center-Lebanon, a fully-owned subsidiary of Kuwait’s Sultan Center Food Products Co. KSC, announced it has signed an agreement with ADMIC sal to acquire for $97m its Monoprix and Géant Casino supermarkets in Lebanon.
Lebanon’s Central Bank foreign assets increase by 8% to $13.4bn in first quarter of 2008
The Central Bank’s interim balance sheet reached $34.48bn at the end of the first quarter of 2008, compared to $32.3bn at the end of 2007 and to $31.5bn at the end of March 2007.
Tourism activity in Lebanon up by 7.3% in the first quarter of 2008