Egyptian minister downplays repercussion of plane crash

Egyptian Tourism Minister Yahya Rashid downplayed the repercussions following the Egypt Air plane crash that killed 66 passengers, Arabi21 reported yesterday.

Rashid replaced Hisham Zazou who was ousted due to his remarks about the retreat of the country’s tourism industry.

“We might need ten times as much effort than what we thought, but we need to do this in order to revive the tourism industry in Egypt,” Rashid said.

“Sadly, plane crashes happen. We need to recognise that a plane crash could happen anywhere.”

The tourism industry in Egypt has faced many difficulties since the January 25 Revolution which ousted former President Hosni Mubarak.

Figures showed a decline in tourist numbers of about 40 per cent in the first quarter of 2016 compared to the same period last year.