The recent kidnappings of two Turkish pilots will weigh heavily on Lebanon’s tourism sector, which has already lost $40 million in revenues during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, industry experts told The Daily Star. However, other ventures between Lebanon and Turkey are unlikely to be affected in the short term, experts say.

Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud, said the incident as one of many nails in the sector’s coffin. Despite discounts of up to 40 per cent in Beirut hotels, they had failed to attract more tourists during the holiday, with occupancy rates down compared to the same period last year.

In previous years, hotel occupancy reached full capacity for almost two weeks over the Eid al-Fitr period. This year, hotels were at 70 per cent capacity for just two days. This alone amounts to at least a $40 million decline in revenues. Lebanese hotels and resorts have traditionally depended on wealthy Gulf Arab tourists, but this has dried up due to several travel bans on Lebanon following a series of kidnappings in 2012.