• 15:28
  • Thursday ,26 September 2013
العربية

3 European countries lift travel alerts on Egypt

By-Ahram

Home News

00:09

Thursday ,26 September 2013

3 European countries lift travel alerts on Egypt

Czech Republic, Holland and Belgium announced on Monday and Tuesday the removal of travel warnings on the Red Sea, Gulf of Aqaba and South Sinai

Several countries advised their citizens against travelling to Egypt following mass protests against the ruling Muslim Brotherhood on 30 June. A few days later the military responded to the protests by deposing president Mohamed Morsi.
 
Morsi supporters established two major sit-ins which were dispersed by security forces on 14 August, leading to days of intense street violence.
 
Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou has been touring the world to persuade officials to remove travel warnings imposed on Egypt, most recently Germany, France and Russia. The latter sent security experts to Egypt's Red Sea governorate to verify its safety.
 
"Russia's travel warning on Egypt is expected to be lifted soon," tourism ministry spokesperson Rasha El-Azazi told Ahram Online.
 
"This move represents a success for the ministry's efforts," El-Azazi said, adding that such travel warnings represented the main obstacle to a resumption of tourism in Egypt. 
 
Egypt received around 7.25 million tourists in the first eight months of 2013, 0.5 percent fewer than during the same period last year, said a recent tourism ministry report. Most of the tourists came from Europe, according to state statistics body CAPMAS.