Egypt’s Tourism Minister Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour called on the United States to lift its no-travel recommendations for Egypt. During his meeting in Cairo with the US Ambassador to Egypt Margaret Scobey, Abdel Nour said the country’s security situation was being revised on a daily basis.
Abdel Nour went on to say that a number of countries, such as Russia, had sent inspection missions to certain tourist destinations in Egypt, and they have come back with positive reports concerning the security situation and the stability of the country.
Explaining that she understood the importance of such a lift and its effect on Egyptian tourism, Scobey said the US Foreign Ministry was proceeding with caution.
She went on to say that the US was preparing to return employees to its embassy in Cairo and that the US admires Egypt’s revolution, which she described as having been carried out in a civilized and honorable fashion.
In related news, Abdel Nour met in Cairo on Wednesday with the Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Song Aiguo. After the meeting, Abdel Nour said that Chinese tourism to Egypt had increased 37 percent in 2010 as compared to 2009. He went on to say that he hoped the number of Chinese tourists to Egypt would reach one million.
For his part, Aiguo said security and stability were the two most important factors that would help increase Chinese tourism to Egypt.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
