Security breaches cost Lebanon tourism $40m

The recent kidnappings of two Turkish pilots is weighing heavily on Lebanon’s tourism sector, which has already lost US$40 million in revenues during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, as reported in The Daily Star. However, other ventures between Lebanon and Turkey are unlikely to be affected in the short term, experts say. “To have hotel cancellations, you need to have reservations first,” Jean Beiruti, secretary-general of the Hotel Owners Association, said when asked if the kidnapping of the pilots had resulted in tourists cancelling their stays. Echoing similar sentiments tourism minister Fadi Abboud, who deemed the incident as “one of many nails in the sector’s coffin,” Beiruti said the fact that the incident took place on the Airport Road was particularly catastrophic for the industry. Despite discounts of up to 40% in Beirut hotels, he said, they had failed to attract more tourists during the holiday, with occupancy rates down compared to the same period last year. Most reservations, he added, were restricted to only two or three nights. Source: Travel daily