EGYPT: President Sisi Says Egypt To Boost Tourism In Sharm el-Sheikh After Russian Plane Crash

In a TV interview, Sisi urged not to jump to conclusions over the Russian plane crash amid the ongoing investigation. It can also be felt in Hurghada as well as in the Egyptian capital Cairo.

In unusually candid comments, the Foreign Secretary said Egypt was one of several countries that have failed to properly train and motivate its staff to ensure the security of its airports.

The impact of the Russian ban on Egyptian tourism was not immediately clear at the opening of Egypt's lucrative tourism season.

The Ministry said it was working closely with airport operators, airlines, holiday companies and "the relevant global authorities to assist all tourists who are now waiting to return home to the United Kingdom and Russian Federation from Sharm el Sheikh to do so".

For now, the most likely scenario is that jihadists planted a bomb with a timer on the plane by someone who had access rather than a passenger sneaking it through the security system, three U.S. officials familiar with the latest intelligence analysis said. "I can say that so far, what we got from the investigation didn't trigger any action, technical action on our side, regarding the A-321 fleet", said Bregier.

Tourism bookings in Sharm el-Sheikh have plunged, officials said Wednesday.

Extra security including multiple scanners, taking shoes and belts off, random passenger checks and swapping of items was put in place at the airport and passengers were only allowed to take hand luggage on the flight home.

He believes that the occupancy rates in hotels will decline by 90 per cent after the departure of 79,000 Russians and 20,000 Brits, as well as Belgian and German tourists.

Even before the jet crash, Egypt's tourism industry was in the doldrums due to the unrest, which has gripped the country since the 2011 uprising that forced longtime autocrat Hosny Mubarak out of power.

Eastern European visitors, also including people from former Soviet satellite states like Ukraine, made up a crucial 45 per cent of all tourist arrivals in June, according to Egyptian government statistics.

"Denial on behalf of the state that there is a crisis and then trying to point to a few kind of third party is very normal" in Egypt, said Hebatalla Taha, an Egypt-focused analyst at the worldwide Institute for Strategic Studies. "We halted the flights to Egypt without knowing the definitive version, we did it preventively, out of caution", Ivanov said.

He added that Russia's air campaign in Syria will continue regardless of the probe.