Egypt No More Dangerous Than US, UK Says Tourism Minister

Egyptian authorities are taking measures to improve airport security as the country seeks to bolster tourism following a spate of attacks on foreigners that have shaken public confidence and reduced visitor numbers.

The North African country has begun a process of upgrading security equipment, including X-rays and passport control technology, and retraining airport personnel to minimise risks for passengers, Egypt’s tourism minister said, adding the country is "no more dangerous than the US, UK".

In an interview in Dubai, Yehia Rashed said Egypt’s airports would “soon rival high-tech, high-security airports such as Amsterdam Schipol and London Heathrow”.

He said: “We are upgrading security at all of our airports, putting in new equipment, which plays a very important role in detecting potential risks, and training and retraining the people who handle the security at airports.

“The latter is ongoing – it is a continuous process of auditing actions and procedures at airports. Meanwhile the upgrade of security equipment should be completed within the next three months.”

Rashed revealed there had been a 40 percent quarter-on-quarter drop in visitor numbers to Egypt in the first three months of 2016, though he was unable to provide figures pertaining to the total number of tourists.

However, he insisted there was already a “heavy emphasis” on security at Egyptian airports, and claimed strict procedures had been followed even in the case of the alleged hijacking of EgyptAir during a flight to Alexandria last month.

“If you look at [CCTV] videos of the supposed hijacking,” he said, “you can watch people being screened before they board the plane. In one clip you can see officials take a lighter out of a man’s pocket. There is a heavy emphasis on security here.”

Egypt has suffered a decline in visitor numbers in recent years after several attacks on tourists and a number of other tragic incidents and safety breaches served to dampen people’s confidence in travelling to the country.

In January, three foreign tourists were stabbed by two suspected ISIL militants who stormed a hotel in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada. Last October, a Russian airliner crashed over Sinai killing all 224 people on board and prompting suspicions of another terror act by ISIL.

The Sharm el Sheikh resort areas already benefit from heightened security protection following attacks on Western tourists, most recently in 2006 when a series of bombs exploded in Dahab, killing 23 people and injuring 80.

In December,the Egyptian Tourism Authority launched a new campaign called #this isegypt in an attempt to market Egypt’s unique cultural offer as a tourism destination – it claims to have at least one-third of the world’s ancient treasures – and Rashed said there has since been a rise in visitor numbers from the GCC, in particular from Saudi Arabia and a 16 percent increase in tourists from the UAE in Q1 2016.

Rashed said he thought there was “a sense of solidarity” between Egypt and the Middle East but said his department was targeting higher volumes of tourists from the West.

“Egypt no more dangerous than the US, UK, Brussels, Paris. Look, world tourism is under attack. It is not just Egypt. We are flying the flag for world tourism and we will convince the world that we are safe.”

Meanwhile, the UAE pledged $4 billion last week to support Egypt, including $2 billion to be deposited at the Central Bank of Egypt to support national cash reserves and a further $2 billion to be invested in developing various industries across Egypt.