Egyptair Crash Is Another Blow to Tourism Sector

2 May 22, 2016 Cover Story Egypt EgyptAir crash is another blow to tourism sector

Ahmed Ibrahim

Cairo

he cause of the crash of EgyptAir flight 804 with 66 people on board may take long to determine, but the incident will be Tan immediate blow to Egypt’s embattled tourism and aviation sectors, government and tourism officials said. “This is particularly so because the crash comes hard on the heels of a series of tragic events strongly connected with the tourism and aviation sectors in our country,” said Magdy Selim, the head of the International Relations Section at the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism. “The problem is that tourism workers were hoping that the tourism sector would recover in the next few months, not receive a new blow.” The Airbus A330-300 was en route from Paris to Cairo when it An EgyptAir Airbus A330-300 coming from Cairo rolls on the tarmac at Charles de Gaulle Airport outside of Paris, on May 19th. suddenly disappeared from air control radar screens early May 19th. The pilot did not issue a dis- pages, TV screens and social me- sectors, officials said, especially billion and in 2015 the figure was ranking” Russian source as saying tress call, which aviation experts dia. after the subsequent flight suspen- $9.3 billion. Revenues from tour- that air travel between Russia and said was an indication of how sud- The crash comes less than two sions imposed by Russia, Britain ism are expected to be sharply off Egypt would not resume if it was den the incident must have been. months after another EgyptAir and a number of other countries. in 2016. confirmed that EgyptAir flight 804 plane was hijacked by a man who “The tourism sector has not re- “You can easily detect the effects had crashed. The incident will be an claimed to be wearing an explosive covered until now, even after al- from these accidents on the tour- Nearly 2 million Russians used to immediate blow to belt. He forced the pilot to divert most seven months since the Rus- ism sector by visiting tourist des- visit Egypt every year, along with Egypt’s embattled the flight to Cyprus, where he held sian plane crash,” Selim said. tinations that used to buzz with 1 million tourists from Britain and tourism and aviation the passengers and the crew hos- foreign tourists, including Sharm another million from Italy. These sectors. tage for hours before surrendering A gloomy mood swept el-Sheikh and Hurghada,” said countries will not likely lift their to Cypriot authorities. through Egypt after Adel Abdel Razek, a member of flight suspensions soon, especially Last October, a Russian pas- the Egyptian Federation for Tour- after the latest crash, tourism ex- There were 30 Egyptian nation- senger jet crashed over the Sinai the plane’s apparent ist Chambers. “The effect is quite perts said. als and 15 French citizens on the peninsula minutes after taking off crash. palpable there.” “This is why we badly need a plane, along with other passengers. from the Egyptian Red Sea Resort Hotels are closing down and very aggressive international tour- There were also seven Egyptian of Sharm el-Sheikh. The Russian Tourism accounts for nearly 13% workers are losing their jobs, ac- ism campaign to bring confidence crew members and three Egyptian government determined a bomb of Egypt’s total revenues, but the cording to the federation, which back in our country as a tourist air marshals. planted aboard the plane caused an sector has been hit by political un- says hotel occupancy in the two destination,” Abdel Razek said. A gloomy mood swept through explosion that brought the plane rest and instability in the country destinations has dropped to 20% of “If we do not do this, we will lose Egypt after the plane’s apparent down and killed all 224 people on since the 2011 popular uprising. capacity. the tourists who visit us from one crash, with relatives of the Egyp- board. The Islamic State (ISIS) said In 2010, 15 million tourists vis- The future does not seem to au- country after another.” tian passengers gathering at Cairo it planted the bomb. ited Egypt, pumping a total of $12.5 gur well for the tourism sector. Airport. Images of tearful and col- The incidents badly affected billion into the country’s coffers. In The Russian newspaper Moscow Ahmed Ibrahim is an Egyptian lapsing relatives filled newspaper Egyptian tourism and civil aviation 2014, tourism revenues were $7.5 Times on May 20th quoted a “high- reporter based in Cairo. Egypt’s anti-ISIS militias in Sinai spark scepticism

Khaled Osama structors set up local militias to prevent ISIS fighters from entering or passing through areas under the Cairo tribes’ control. ISIS has become a serious prob- plan to establish anti- lem for the Egyptian Army in Sinai, Islamic State (ISIS) mi- a territory in north-eastern Egypt litias among Bedouin inhabited by about 400,000 people tribes in Sinai could — mostly Bedouins — and sharing backfire and put so- borders with Israel and the Pales- phisticatedA arms in the hands of tinian Gaza Strip. people who are potential enemies of Egypt, military and political ex- The plan was perts warn. drawn up by US “We do not need to forget that counterterrorism most ISIS fighters in Sinai are origi- experts who advised nally Bedouins who joined the ter- Egypt. rorist group in its ongoing show- down with the army,” retired army ISIS has attacked troops and ci- general Mamdouh al-Kidwani said. vilian police and made parts of “This is why I say empowering Si- North Sinai governorate dangerous nai’s Bedouins is a potential dan- despite heavy casualties inflicted g e r.” on the terror group by the army, Egypt is implementing an am- which has used Apache helicopters bitious plan to establish anti-ISIS and F-16 fighter jets to pound ISIS militias in Sinai among Bedouin positions. tribes, according to media reports. ISIS militants have planted Three militias have been created bombs on roads. Egypt has re- and efforts are under way to estab- ceived the first shipment of what lish more as Egypt tries to eradicate will total 762 mine-resistant vehi- An Egyptian Army soldier looks on from his postion at a checkpoint in Al Arish city, in the troubled militancy from the peninsula, the cles from the United States. northern part of the Sinai peninsula. reports add. Egypt is expected to use part of a Saudi grant — worth $1.5 billion — harbour more loyalty to either Gaza and not effective in the fight against He said Cairo did not trust “Empowering for the development of Sinai and to or Israel.” al-Qaeda, Iraqi analysts say. Bedouins, which was why Bedouins buy Bedouin loyalties against ISIS, What makes the new Bedouin Egypt has been trying to involve were not been heavily recruited in Sinai’s Bedouins is which is reported to be using mon- militia plan even less appealing to Sinai tribes in the fight against ISIS the army for a long time or enrolled a potential ey to secure the same. Ghattas is that the Sunni militias for a long time but the drive seems in military or police colleges. danger.” Nevertheless, local experts say being formed in Anbar are not ex- to have bumped into one failure af- “Nevertheless, the army can still the government plan is risky and pected to fare well when fighting ter another. use the Bedouins in getting infor- Retired army general could be counterproductive. ISIS in Iraq, given the limited num- ISIS, Kidwani said, always reacts mation about the militants, their Mamdouh al-Kidwani “Apart from the fact that the ber of their members. The quality with heavy-handed vengefulness hideouts and their moves,” Kid- Bedouin tribes offer ISIS with an of their equipment is also inferior against those who cooperate with wani said, “but by putting arms in endless supply of recruits, most of to that of ISIS. the army or pass on information their hands, we will be creating a The plan was drawn up by US these tribes are extended over vast The idea is a revival of what was about its fighters. state within the state, especially if counterterrorism experts who ad- territories, including in Israel and known as the Sahawat, Sunni mi- He added that relations between these Bedouins become out of the vised Egypt to operate the same Gaza,” said Samir Ghattas, a mem- litias formed by the United States Sinai’s Bedouins and Cairo have control of the authorities.” way the US military does among ber of parliament well-versed on in 2007 with the aim of fighting al- been bad because of the failure of Sunni tribes in Anbar province in the tribes. Qaeda in Iraq. Sahawat were, how- Egyptian leaders to include Sinai in Khaled Osama is an Egyptian western Iraq, where American in- “This means that these tribes ever, a tool of Anbar tribal leaders development plans. reporter based in Cairo.