After attacks on hotels and tourism sites in several areas in Egypt
under the pretext of protests, Egyptian
economic experts have asserted
that the country's tourism industry is being targeted intentionally. The
main target, they say, is the economy, which is unlikely to revive as
long as there is daily turmoil on the streets of Egypt and security
officers are deployed everywhere.
Many tourist hotels have been targeted during demonstrations called
by the National Salvation Front (NSF). Analysts say that the NSF, which
has never condemned the destructive attacks, provides a political cover
for the violence. According to the Professor of International Relations
at Cairo University, Mohammed Hussein, "The series of attacks on tourist
hotels is carried out by paid vandals and they serve only to damage the
tourism industry in Egypt." He suggested that the reason is because
tourism is one thing which can revive the Egyptian economy.
Prof. Hussein pointed to the role of the mass media, which projects
what is carried out by the criminals as some kind of national
achievement because they claim to be fighting for freedom. "However,
they are just a few thousand, whereas the mass media speaks about
millions taking to the streets," he said.
The head of the economic committee at the Chamber of Tourism
Companies, Basel Al-Sisi, described the targeting of hotels as a
"disaster" for the industry. Some tourism companies will be forced to
make staff cuts if the attacks continue, he warned. Al-Sisi called for
greater protection for hotels and for the security services to
investigate attacks and arrest the culprits.
The Egyptian tourism industry has been suffering severe losses since
the revolution which toppled former president Hosni Mubarak. It faces
further difficulties after today's hot air balloon crash in which 19
foreign tourists were killed.