Egypt is likely to be subject to an ISIS terror attack in the near future according to Israel, which has warned tourists in the Red Sea resorts to leave immediately.
What does this mean for tourists?
Israel has warned that it believes an ISIS terror attack is imminent in Egypt’s Red Sea resorts, and is advising citizens to leave the area immediately.
Israelis have also been warned to cancel all future travel plans to the area.
“We don't want to cry wolf, wolf,” Eitan Ben-David, the head of Israel's counter-terror bureau, said. “We really believe that the threat is serious.”
The Red Sea resorts include tourist destinations such as Sharm el Sheikh, Luxor and Hurghada.
These are popular resorts with British holidaymakers for winter sun, and while demand has dropped off since prominent terrorist attacks in 2015 and last year, thousands still visit every year.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has not updated its advice in response to Israel’s claims that a terror threat is imminent.
Although it advises against all travel to the Governorate of North Sinai and all but essential travel to the Governorate of South Sinai, it specifically excludes the Red Sea Resorts.
The FCO says: “The tourist areas along the Nile river including Luxor, Qina, Aswan, Abu Simbel and the Valley of the Kings and the Red Sea resorts of Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada aren’t included in the areas to which the FCO advise against all but essential travel.”
Rasha Azaizi, director of the Egyptian State Tourist Office in the UK, said: "Egypt is and has always been open for business and 2017 will be a year of major growth and recovery. Tour operators, like Thomas Cook, are reporting a pump up in sales.
"As in every country in the world, the security measures in Egypt are very strict. As the terrible events in London last week have shown, terrorism is a global phenomenon and we all must be vigilant."
British visitors are still warned not to fly into Sharm el Sheikh after a plane from Sharm to St Petersburg, Russia, crashed in 2015.
Russian authorities stated that the crash was caused by an explosive device on board the plane.
The FCO says: “As a precautionary measure, we are advising against all but essential travel by air to or from Sharm el Sheikh.”
When asked about whether the threat level in Egypt had increased, an FCO spokesperson said: “FCO Travel Advice is kept under constant review.”
Frank Brehany, MD of HolidayTravelWatch, said: "Whilst tourism has essentially stayed away from Egypt, we must understand their reasons for doing so, whilst offering sympathy and understanding to those who rely on that tourism.
"It is not in my view the role of UK holidaymakers to be simply a ‘commodity' in the promotion of tourist trade between the UK and Egypt; that can surely only come when all the right measures and conditions are in place to guarantee their safety and indeed demonstrate that they not only work but that there is stability in any difficult destination."
The threat of terrorism is currently labelled as “high” in Egypt.
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Showing posts with label South Sinai. Show all posts
Showing posts with label South Sinai. Show all posts
Saturday, 1 April 2017
Monday, 23 November 2015
EGYPT: Tourism Future Bleak, Drastic Drop In Sharm el-Sheikh Tourism After Russian Jet Crash
After a plane carrying Russian holidaymakers crashed from the sky last month, tour operators rushed to evacuate tourists and suspended flights.
On a balmy evening in Sharm el-Sheikh, Ali despondently surveyed his tiny, mirror-lined shop, its shelves neatly stacked with gold-painted plastic pyramids and dusty bottles of perfume. Later that night, he said, his voice strained, he would carefully lock the door and then board a bus to join his family in Cairo.
He was sad to leave, he told DW quietly, but he simply didn't have a choice: The shy 29-year-old father of two, sporting a luminously green shirt and jeans, hadn't sold a single one of his tacky goods in the last two weeks and couldn't afford to stay in Sharm el-Sheikh, his home for the last two years, any longer.
He'll be joining a steady stream of diving instructors, waiters and pool boys who have left the Red Sea beach resort in recent weeks, ever since a Russian passenger jet carrying 224 people crashed shortly after leaving Sharm el-Sheikh airport on October 31.
The self-proclaimed "Islamic State" has claimed responsibility, saying its militants smuggled a bomb onto the aircraft in a soft drink can.
Britain and Russia, whose nationals make up the bulk of tourists in Sharm el-Sheikh, suspended all flights. On the once busy runway of the small airport, few planes now land, including the odd direct flights from Ukraine and Italy.
Deserted beaches, uncertain future
The impact on Sharm el-Sheikh, a seaside town made up of luxury, all-inclusive beach resorts, restaurants and shopping arcades that was founded to cater to the needs of wealthy foreign tourists, has been devastating - and everyone agreed that this is worst downturn in recent decades, years that have seen the industry recover after previous terrorist attacks and world economic crises.
Many usually heaving beaches are nearly deserted, but for the odd tourist spoilt for choice when it came to deck chairs. One hotel owner said that his occupancy rate was down from the usual 600 to 45.
In the harbor, the bored-looking owner of a small shop selling snacks and drinks dozed behind his counter, while the boats that normally take tourists out for snorkeling and diving tours bobbed in the bay.
Standing on the pier, Ramy Youssry, an outgoing, cheerful 37-year-old with the tan of those who live under the sun all year long, said his diving business could survive another three months. "To be honest, I don't know what will happen after that."
While his two young daughters are delighted to be seeing more of their father during what is normally the high season for sun-deprived Northern Europeans and Russians, Youssry is concerned. He's losing $600 (about 560 euros) a day, and had to send more than half of his employees on an extended holiday.
But, he said, he was hopeful that tourists would return one day. It's only a matter of time, he said, until the memory of the crash has faded and tourists returned.
Government boost?
The government, which relies on tourism revenues as a vital source of foreign currency after years of economic and political instability following the 2011 uprising that ousted former strongman President Hosni Mubarak, is trying to achieve just that.
On a VIP platform overlooking a bustling square decked out in sparkling lights, the governor of South Sinai shouted to make himself heard above the fireworks and din of a Ukrainian band flown in for the occasion by one of the luxury hotels hoping to boost revenue. Tourists decked out in low-cut dresses and impossibly high heels danced to the music, alongside local families pushing their prams.
All was being done, Governor Khaled Fouda said tersely, to send a positive message to the world - and increase security. "We are working closely with our friends to improve security at the airport," he said. Measures would include increased cooperation with foreign countries, such as training security officers. "We understand that our friends are concerned about their citizens and want to guarantee their security. That is why we are cooperating with them."
The government has also started a PR campaign abroad, such as flying a Saudi Arabian delegation to Sharm el-Sheikh, and is attempting to boost domestic tourism.
Fear for Egypt's future
But local tour operators agree that these are mere stop gap measures to keep the industry afloat until flights resume and foreign tourists start streaming back.
At a beach overlooking a picture-perfect turquoise bay, Sciavetia Bruha, a cheerful busty Italian woman, laughed. The flight from Italy had been almost completely empty, she said, but she for one was not scared. "Why should I be? It's beautiful here, the people are friendly, the weather's perfect," she said. She felt perfectly safe, she added, as the friend at her side nodded in agreement.
Ali for one, is praying that more foreigners put their fears behind them - so he can return to his souvenir shop one day. "Before," he said, referring to the plane crash, "everything was perfect. People from all over the world would come to my shop."
He looked forlorn as he glanced around his shop. "I fear for my children's future." After a short pause he added: "And for Egypt's."
On a balmy evening in Sharm el-Sheikh, Ali despondently surveyed his tiny, mirror-lined shop, its shelves neatly stacked with gold-painted plastic pyramids and dusty bottles of perfume. Later that night, he said, his voice strained, he would carefully lock the door and then board a bus to join his family in Cairo.
He was sad to leave, he told DW quietly, but he simply didn't have a choice: The shy 29-year-old father of two, sporting a luminously green shirt and jeans, hadn't sold a single one of his tacky goods in the last two weeks and couldn't afford to stay in Sharm el-Sheikh, his home for the last two years, any longer.
He'll be joining a steady stream of diving instructors, waiters and pool boys who have left the Red Sea beach resort in recent weeks, ever since a Russian passenger jet carrying 224 people crashed shortly after leaving Sharm el-Sheikh airport on October 31.
The self-proclaimed "Islamic State" has claimed responsibility, saying its militants smuggled a bomb onto the aircraft in a soft drink can.
Britain and Russia, whose nationals make up the bulk of tourists in Sharm el-Sheikh, suspended all flights. On the once busy runway of the small airport, few planes now land, including the odd direct flights from Ukraine and Italy.
Deserted beaches, uncertain future
The impact on Sharm el-Sheikh, a seaside town made up of luxury, all-inclusive beach resorts, restaurants and shopping arcades that was founded to cater to the needs of wealthy foreign tourists, has been devastating - and everyone agreed that this is worst downturn in recent decades, years that have seen the industry recover after previous terrorist attacks and world economic crises.
Many usually heaving beaches are nearly deserted, but for the odd tourist spoilt for choice when it came to deck chairs. One hotel owner said that his occupancy rate was down from the usual 600 to 45.
In the harbor, the bored-looking owner of a small shop selling snacks and drinks dozed behind his counter, while the boats that normally take tourists out for snorkeling and diving tours bobbed in the bay.
Standing on the pier, Ramy Youssry, an outgoing, cheerful 37-year-old with the tan of those who live under the sun all year long, said his diving business could survive another three months. "To be honest, I don't know what will happen after that."
While his two young daughters are delighted to be seeing more of their father during what is normally the high season for sun-deprived Northern Europeans and Russians, Youssry is concerned. He's losing $600 (about 560 euros) a day, and had to send more than half of his employees on an extended holiday.
But, he said, he was hopeful that tourists would return one day. It's only a matter of time, he said, until the memory of the crash has faded and tourists returned.
Government boost?
The government, which relies on tourism revenues as a vital source of foreign currency after years of economic and political instability following the 2011 uprising that ousted former strongman President Hosni Mubarak, is trying to achieve just that.
On a VIP platform overlooking a bustling square decked out in sparkling lights, the governor of South Sinai shouted to make himself heard above the fireworks and din of a Ukrainian band flown in for the occasion by one of the luxury hotels hoping to boost revenue. Tourists decked out in low-cut dresses and impossibly high heels danced to the music, alongside local families pushing their prams.
All was being done, Governor Khaled Fouda said tersely, to send a positive message to the world - and increase security. "We are working closely with our friends to improve security at the airport," he said. Measures would include increased cooperation with foreign countries, such as training security officers. "We understand that our friends are concerned about their citizens and want to guarantee their security. That is why we are cooperating with them."
The government has also started a PR campaign abroad, such as flying a Saudi Arabian delegation to Sharm el-Sheikh, and is attempting to boost domestic tourism.
Fear for Egypt's future
But local tour operators agree that these are mere stop gap measures to keep the industry afloat until flights resume and foreign tourists start streaming back.
At a beach overlooking a picture-perfect turquoise bay, Sciavetia Bruha, a cheerful busty Italian woman, laughed. The flight from Italy had been almost completely empty, she said, but she for one was not scared. "Why should I be? It's beautiful here, the people are friendly, the weather's perfect," she said. She felt perfectly safe, she added, as the friend at her side nodded in agreement.
Ali for one, is praying that more foreigners put their fears behind them - so he can return to his souvenir shop one day. "Before," he said, referring to the plane crash, "everything was perfect. People from all over the world would come to my shop."
He looked forlorn as he glanced around his shop. "I fear for my children's future." After a short pause he added: "And for Egypt's."
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