Reservations in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh have fallen by up to 90 per cent since the Russian airliner crash last month. Hotel employees in the resort said that the occupancy rate has fallen so sharply that it looks similar to the time of the 25 January Revolution in 2011.
According to the workers, the number of reservations by foreign tourists in the hotels have fallen by between 60 and 90 per cent. They stressed that the Sisi government’s efforts to compensate for the low foreign presence by encouraging Egyptians to spend their holidays in the resort will not match income from European tourism, especially as one of the main holiday seasons is still a few weeks away.
Taxi drivers working in the city have also confirmed the sharp decline in foreign tourism since the aircraft was brought down over Sinai in October, having taken off from Sharm El-Sheikh Airport. Russian security officials have confirmed that the plane blew up after explosive traces were found in the wreckage. It is believed that the bomb was smuggled on board at the airport.
Russian President Vladimir Putin described the attack as one of the deadliest acts of terrorism in the history of his country. Moscow has offered a $52 million reward for information about the terrorists.