Egypt to boost tourism in Sharm el-Sheikh after Russian plane crash

The fallout from the crash of a Russian passenger plane in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula could slash tourism income from Sharm al-Sheikh by half, the head of the region’s travel agents’ association said this week.

An Egyptian-led 47-member investigation committee, including Russian, French and German experts, said Saturday that it was attentively considering all possible scenarios for the cause of the tragic accident, yet no conclusion was reached at the moment.

Britain suspended flights to Sharm el-Sheikh after saying it feared a bomb caused the disaster and voicing concerns over airport security at the Red Sea resort.

Roughly three million Russian tourists came to Egypt in 2014, almost a third of all visitors, with most heading to the resorts in the southern Sinai Peninsula or its opposite coast, far off from an insurgency being fought by Islamic militants against the army further north.

State television footage showed el-Sissi smiling as he walked through the crowded departure terminal Wednesday. “We will be clear and transparent in announcing the results…We will not hide anything”. “We will not hide anything”.

“I am telling the whole world: Egypt is secure and stable”, al-Sisi said adding that all who were arriving in the country or were leaving it could feel safe. “They should arrive safely and leave safely and securely”.

Hundreds of tourists were transported out of Sharm el-Sheikh over the past few days, but many chose to stay behind.

Egypt’s tourism industry, vital to its economy, has already suffered from years of political instability and attacks claimed by jihadists.

Tourists from Britain and Russian Federation account for around 66 % of the tourist traffic in Sharm el-Sheikh, according to Zazou.

But, he said Wednesday, failures in security at Sharm el-Sheikh airport may have enabled the attack.

Last year, 9.9 million tourists visited Egypt, a far cry from the 14.7 million who visited in 2010, the year before Arab uprisings convulsed the Middle East.

“The scare for declining markets is that once they emerge from their troubled situation, they might find themselves challenged by a well-established competition”, said Nadejda Popova, airlines analyst at market researchers Euromonitor global.

“We are losing a big amount by losing the British and the Russians”, he said.

The British government responded by suspending all flights to and from the Red Sea resort and sent in teams of officials to carry out heighten security checks to allow a series of rescue planes to bring thousands of stranded Britons back home.

Al-Ahram reported that el-Sisi is visiting Sharm to discuss the repercussions of the Russian plane crash and visit tourist sites along with tourism minister Hisham Zaazou and South Sinai governor Khaled Fouda.