Feature: Egypt's Red Sea resort still attracts tourists after Russian plane crash

Egypt's Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh is still crowded with tourists while many European countries still pause their flights to the city after the Russian plane crash.

Dreams Beach hotel, one of the city's renowned resort hotels, still hosts many foreign tourists who come to enjoy the seaside view and breathtaking coral reefs.

"I cannot find a better place than this in the world," George Upsher from London says as he is enjoying the sunshine next to the swimming pool at the hotel. "I feel quite safe here... the decision by my government to evacuate the tourists does not affect me, I will leave when my vacation ends."

Upsher says he is a frequent visitor of Sharm el-Sheikh for six years, stressing that he will come back next year.

On Thursday, Britain suspended all flights from and to Egypt after the recent Russian plane crash that killed all 224 people on board.

The move came after several U.S. media cited unnamed sources as suggesting that a planted bomb might have caused the disaster.

Russia then joined Britain, France, Germany, the UAE and Turkey in re-routing flights over Sinai or suspending flights into Sharm el-Sheikh.

Later, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday ordered all of his country's flights from and to Egypt be suspended as speculation rose over possible terrorist attacks on the Russian plane accident.

Moscow and London have already pulled out thousands of stranded tourists from Sharm el-Sheikh over the past couple of days.

But these decisions seemingly do not affect some foreign holidaymakers in the resort city.

"These things happen and it scares people, but security has stepped up. I will only leave when my flight comes. I'm very happy here and absolutely I will stay here for a while," said a British lady in her fifties, who asks her name not to be mentioned.

Alongside the golden sandy beach of the resort, dozens of tourists tan their bodies under the sunshine, while many others enjoy the warm tranquil waters.

"I come here after the airplane crash. I'm not scared... I expect there is more strict security control," says Ilnur Savganov, a Russian tourist who visits Egypt with his family.

"I will leave only when my holiday ends. I do not have to leave earlier," the young man adds.

There are some 400 Russian companies operating in Egypt with more three million Russian tourists visiting Egypt annually.

The move is expected to add more recession to the already poor tourism sector in Egypt, which has always been one of the main sources of the country's national income and foreign currency reserves.

Dreams Beach hotel is an example of hotels in the city that still has, to an extent, a normal presence of tourists.

But business owners believe that the effects of the decisions to halt flights into the city will be visible very soon.

They believe if the flight ban is placed for a long time, it will be a heavy blow to Egypt's already poor tourism industry.

"We have not been affected so far, only a few tourists cancel their reservations... the suspension of the flights will have an impact on tourism if it is going to last for a long time," Waleed Bakr, an official at the Dreams Beach hotel tells Xinhua.

He hopes that the suspension of flights will resume soon before the Christmas season which will witness a high presence of tourists from all over the world. Endit