The tourism sector has lost LE1 billion per month this year as compared to the same period in 2010, said Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou on Thursday. He added that the ministry is studying plans tailored to each season to boost the sector, and to attract tourists from Russia and Western Europe.
The Tourism Promotion Authority’s overseas offices reported that the decline in tourism is a reaction to the lack of security as seen in recent incidents including the sectarian clashes in Dahshur in July, the Nile Cities towers clashes in August and a spike in organized crime and violence in Marsa Alam.
The reports also said that when mentions of Sinai increase in the media, particularly in regards the security crackdown operation against terrorist groups, there is a correlated cancellation of bookings to Sharm el-Sheikh.
Zaazou called on the media to specify the exact locations that the operation targets so as not to affect tourism in the rest of the peninsula.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
