The World Travel and Tourism Council and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) called on the UK to lift the travel ban decision to Sharm el-Sheikh.
David Scowsill, President and CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council, and Secretary General of the UNWTO Rifai dispatched a letter to the UK's Prime Minister Theresa May stressing the importance of resuming flights to the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh as the current travel ban has devastating consequences on the Egyptian economy and social stability.
Tourism is a vital pillar for the Egyptian economy and social peace as it constituted 11 percent of the GDP, and provided up to 2.6 million job opportunities in 2015, the letter said, adding that the low inflow of tourists caused a huge number of sector workers to lose their jobs.
Egypt fears that the decline in the number of job opportunities, especially among young people of both sexes, has forced many into a state of despair so they either resorted to extremism or fled aboard on board a refugee boat, according to the letter.
The Egyptian authorities have taken important measures to increase the level of security, not only at airports but also in the surrounding areas, meeting the safety requirements of the British government. Russia, Germany and other countries have lifted travl ban decisions to Egypt upon the new security measures, the letter added.
The letter expressed deep sorrow over the impact of the travel warning imposed by the UK against Egypt, and called on the British government to review the warning and allow commercial aircrafts to resume flights to Sharm el-Sheikh.
The British government suspended its flights to Sharm el-Sheikh starting November in response to the October 31 plane crash in Sinai, which killed 224 passengers, most of them Russian tourists.
Sharm el-Sheikh is a major destination for British tourists, with a number of budget and charter airlines, including Easyjet, Thomson Airways and Thomas Cook Airlines, carrying visitors to the resort over the busy end-of-year season.
Britain, Russia and other countries suspended flights after the crash. While some have resumed travel to Sharm el-Sheikh, Britain sought deeper reassurances about the security arrangements at the airport.
