Egypt hopes for return of Russian tourists - minister

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, November 18. /TASS/. Egypt is expecting Russian vacationers to return to Red Sea resorts, Tourism Minister of Hisham Zazou said on Wednesday. "I hope that Russia’s government will reconsider Moscow’s decision to suspend flights to Egypt and will find a way to resume the dialogue in order to cultivate trust to the extra measures to be taken by Egypt to ensure security of tourists," Zazou said. According to the minister, the real monthly losses of the tourism sector in Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada are some $281 million following the flight ban. "Russian and UK tourists accounted for more than a half of the tourism flow in Sharm el-Sheikh only," the minister said. "I planned to visit Russia on November 16, but I had to delay it under the current conditions," Zazou said. "I hope that we will deal with the crisis and I will have a chance to come to Russia." Russian Kogalymavia’s A321 plane en route from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg crashed on October 31 around 30 minutes after takeoff in North Sinai, 100 kilometers to the south of Al-Arish. None of the carried 217 passengers and seven crewmembers survived in the crash. On November 6, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered to suspend flights to Egypt amid security concerns. Read more