BEIRUT, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Gulf countries may lift their travel ban against Lebanon after the country forms the new government, said Lebanese Caretaker Tourism Minister Avedis Guidanian on Monday.
"We were informed by ambassadors of Gulf countries in Lebanon that the travel ban imposed by their countries may be lifted soon," he was quoted as saying by local news website Elnashra.
Last November, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Kuwait warned their citizens against travelling to Lebanon because of a Lebanese-Saudi crisis caused by Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri's controversial resignation in Riyadh which he rescinded soon after.
Guidanian said the number of Gulf tourists visiting Lebanon has dropped by 30 percent to 40 percent compared with last year.
However, the number of tourists from Brazil, France, Germany, Britain, the United States and Canada has increased remarkably, the minister added.
