But these same resorts are now counting the losses inflicted by Israeli strikes and ensuing oil spills which have turned the Big Blue into a Big Black. The month-long war between Hizbollah and Israel, and an eight-week blockade have increased Lebanon's public debt to $41 billion from the $38.6 billion estimated at the start of 2006.

The conflict caused extensive damage to the country's infrastructure leaving 15,000 houses and apartments leveled, 78 bridges and 630 kilometers of road destroyed and an economy in tatters.

But the most harshly hit sector was perhaps the tourism industry which lost an estimated $2.5 billion in expected revenues. The wellbeing of Lebanon's economy depends greatly on travel and tourism which contributes 11% of the GDP thanks to the country's sandy beaches, snowy peaks and vibrant nightlife.

This year promised to be exceptionally fruitful with the number of visitors expected to reach 1.6 million for the first time since the 1975-1990 civil war.

"Our direct losses and the loss of earnings amount to $10 million," said Roger Edde, owner of Edde Sands, one of Lebanon's hippest resorts. "We closed for three weeks to clean the beach from the oil slicks which also evaporate, causing breathing problems, and activities have been slow since the September 2 reopening."

An estimated 10,000 to 30,000 tonnes of fuel spilled into the Mediterranean and contaminated 140 kilometres of coast after the Jiyyeh power plant was hit during a bomb raid in mid-July.

It is the first time Lebanon has faced an environmental catastrophe on such a large scale, with marine fauna and flora also badly affected.

Yacoub Sarraf, the Lebanese Environment Minister, appealed to the international community to help with relief efforts as the country lacked the necessary expertise, equipment and financial means.

"Our priority today is to save the Mediterranean Sea. Thousands of tons of heavy fuel have been spilled on our shorelines and millions of God's creatures are craving for your help," he said.

A UN-led team of international experts has started assessing the damage done to Lebanon's environment. The team, led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and working closely with the Lebanese authorities, will visit and sample the sites along the country's coast which are thought to present potential risks to human health, wildlife and the wider environment.

"The field work will take up to three weeks," said Dr Habib Elhabr, Director of the UNEP for West Asia. "The final report will hopefully be out by mid-December and both the governments of Norway and Switzerland have pledged funds for this assessment mission."

The UNEP is familiar with assessing post-conflict environmental damage as it has already conducted missions in Liberia, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans.

"There is an urgent need to assess the environmental legacy of the recent conflict and put in place a comprehensive clean-up of polluted and health-hazardous sites," said Achim Steiner, UNEP's Executive Director.

"Work is on-going to deal with the oil spill on the Lebanese coast. We must now look at the wider impacts as they relate to issues such as underground and surface water supplies, coastal contamination and the health and fertility of the land," Steiner said.

The team will also assess the Beirut International Airport, where fuel tanks were set ablaze after repeated bombing, sewage treatment and hospital facility sites, and unexploded ordinance.

The country is slowly getting back on its feet but, almost two months after a ceasefire was declared, Sarraf said it was only a start: "The real war in Lebanon begins today, the war of rebuilding, the war of forgetting and also the war for reclaiming our environment."