Feature: Flight bans to Egypt's resort worries business owners

Business owners in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh believe that flight suspensions by a number of European countries could give a heavy blow to the country's most tourist attraction.

"The flight suspensions into Sharm will destroy our business," Mamdouh samy, a 34-year-old owner of souvenir shop in the city's old market told Xinhua.

The man added that he feels no immediate and notable recession of his business so far, but he said "everyone in the resort city will feel the effects very soon after the tourists who are already here will leave."

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.

"I'm really worried that the crash was caused by a bomb...if so, tourism here will receive a strong hit and our business will be ruined," Samy said he cleaned his glass shop front windows.

Sharm el-Sheikh, the administrative hub of Egypt's South Sinai Governorate, is a major touristic hotspot and resort city in Egypt.

Once named the city of peace, where large number of international peace conferences have been held there, has now been a distressing place for thousands of foreign tourists who are eager to fly back home.

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

The news of the British flight ban and the evacuation of the British from the city did not much worry business owners there. But the Russian decision to halt flights was like an earthquake to tourism workers.

"Some three million Russian tourists visit the country per year... they are ranked the first tourist group visiting the country. Their absence is a severe blow to our business," Sobhi Ibrahim, owner of men's wear shop in the city told Xinhua.

Tourism is the main sources of the North African country's national income and foreign currency reserves.

Ibrahim added that Sharm el-Sheikh has gone through many difficult experiences in recent ten years that have badly affected the tourism sector in the city, but "business revived again and things got better."

In 2005, three bombs exploded in the Sharm el-Sheikh City, killing 64 people and injuring 124 according the latest official figures.

The attacks have left the city deserted for a short period of time.

The past three years have seen the downfall of two presidents and chaotic political and security situation, as well as a traumatized tourism industry.

He hoped that the suspension of flights will resume soon before the Christmas season.

"Sharm is a lovely place and tourists love the city... I hope the hard times will end soon and things here can thrive again," Ibrahim added. Endit