By Vestnik Kavkaza
It is time for judgments in Egypt. The former president Hosni Mubarak who is accused of incitement to murder of protesters during the rebellion against him in 2011 faced trial for the first time. Last year Mubarak was life sentenced, but he managed to gain reconsideration of the case. At the same time, in Cairo the trial over the Muslim Brotherhood’s leaders should take place, who are accused of incitement to violence which led to losses during protests on June 30th in Cairo.
On August 15 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged Russians to avoid travelling to Egypt and Rosturizm recommended Russian tour operators to suspend the sale of tours and return the money for any vouchers already sold. But about 15,000 Russian tourists are at Egyptian resorts. According to Yevgeniy Pisarevsky, deputy head of the Federal Tourism Agency, “every day we receive information from our representative, he did confirm that the situation is calm. However, he has information about planned activities of opposition or structures that support the former government of the country, but security is ensured.”
The general trend is reduction, hotels have emptied, in place of foreigners come Egyptians, who arrive from the points of conflict. “Thus the hospitality industry of Egypt is trying to address the current problems,” Pisarevsky says. “We hope that our tour operators will continue implementing the recommendations of the Federal Tourism Agency. We understand what a difficult decision it is for them, both economically and strategically, because it's really a destination that cannot be replaced, especially in the winter season. However, the safety of Russian citizens and tourists abroad is a priority, and we have to realize that things are moving unpredictably, uncertainly. Of course, you need to minimize the number of tourists, and bring it to zero, and only after the abolition of the recommendations can they go back to the country. We hope that this will happen as soon as possible. This is a favorite destination of Russian tourists. Especially from the regions of the Russian Federation. It is clear that the price is affordable, there are elements of social tourism. Therefore, it is a complex question, but we emphasize the priority - the lives of Russian tourists. Moreover, we have this year, as I said, in contrast to the decisions that were made in 2011, because they were taken for the first time, we have warned businesses in advance, asking them to cut the program. And we hope for the understanding of Russian business.”
The deputy head of the Federal Tourism Agency urges to draw lessons from the situation: “Not only administrative, but also legal, related to the changes in legislation, with a clear division of responsibility between all the participants in the travel process: carriers, tourists and tour operators, and of the state, of course.”
According to Anna Podgornaya, Director General of the tour operator "Pegas Touristik", “the situation at the resorts is really quiet, there were no demonstrations or manifestations. No one has requested early termination of their stay in Egypt. We proposed alternative options to tourists who have already booked their holiday in the Red Sea resorts. Most tourists shifted to Turkish resorts. You could meet more or less the price. Again, a simplified visa regime, too, should not be discounted. We have also directed tourists to the resorts of Tunisia, not so many, but also there was a bit of Morocco and Cyprus.”
