Hundreds of thousands of workers in the tourism sector in Sinai and the Red Sea governorates are losing their jobs as tourists continue to leave the country in light of continued political unrest and anarchy.
In Sharm el-Sheikh 400,000 workers in the tourism sector are in threat of unemployment if tourism trends continue as they are.
Nasser Ismail, who works at the Coral Bay Hotel in Sharm el-Sheikh said the hotel let 500 temporary employees go and will not be renewing any contracts. He said that families will find themselves with no income. Mahmoud al-Sayed, a bazaar owner in Sharm el-Sheikh said all shops and bazaars will be forced to discharge their employees.
Meanwhile, tourism expert Fikry Tahir said he expects tourism companies to flourish once again when the situation stabilizes, as the current situation doesn't concern terrorist acts but rather an awakening of the Egyptian people, which is respected by all civilized peoples.
Civil Aviation Authority sources at Hurghada airport said the international arrival hall lights have been dimmed and its immigration and customs enforcement staff have been transferred to the departure lounge to speed up procedures for those trying to fly out.
The sources went on to say that there are up to 75 flights each day departing to European countries and Russia carrying some 13,000 tourists of different nationalities. The same sources said hotel and tourist village employees have been given unpaid open vacations as the hotel occupancy rate is expected to reach zero percent during the current week.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
