EgyptAir flight MS804 crash is final nail in coffin for Egypt's tourism industry - Nigel Thompson - Mirror Online:
"Egypt has been working extremely hard to demonstrate the country is safe to visit for Western holidaymakers - but it appears that today's crash shows it is not
Sharm el-Sheikh used to be an extremely popular tourist resort thanks to its sandy beaches and scuba diving opportunities
Obviously we do not know the exact cause of the disappearance of EgyptAir flight MS804 over the Med, but sadly the early signs do all point to an act of terror.
...Tourism is absolutely vital to the Egyptian economy – at its peak before the revolution in 2011, which saw the fall of President Mubarak- it employed 10-12 per cent of the workforce and brought in almost £8billion a year.
...Then the crash of the Russian holiday jet in North Sinai on October 31, 2015 was a hammer blow, as European airlines stopped flying to Sharm el-Sheikh on the advice of governments over fears that security at the airport had been compromised and a bomb was smuggled on board.
And in January three Western tourists were stabbed by suspected Islamic State militants at a Hurghada hotel; thankfully the holidaymakers were not seriously injured.
...Though admittedly we do not know for sure it's terrorism, or where any device was planted as the plane had flown from Eritrea, to Cairo, then on to Tunis before heading, via Cairo again, to Paris.
If it turns out a bomb was planted at France's showpiece Charles de Gaulle airport, then that's a truly shocking development.
Would I fly to Egypt now?
It's a fascinating place to visit for sure.
But sadly to me this looks like the final nail in the coffin of Egypt's tourism industry at least in the short term.
I feel most Western tourists will now stay away - and it's desperately sad for all the decent people of Egypt.
Sorry, there's no way I am flying there any time soon."
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