Egypt to boost tourism in Sharm el-Sheikh after Russian plane crash

Egypt said on Wednesday it had taken a series of measures to encourage tourism in Sharm el-Sheikh resort after a Russian airplane crashed over its North Sinai.

In a sign to boost tourism in the city, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi paid a surprise visit to Sharm el-Sheikh resort on Wednesday to inspect the security situation.

In a TV interview, Sisi urged not to jump to conclusions over the Russian plane crash amid the ongoing investigation.

The plane crash killed all 224 people on board, mostly Russians, which has led Britain and Russia to suspend their flights to Sharm el-Sheikh and to evacuate their nationals from the prominent resort over a possibility that a bomb was behind the tragedy.

That has handed a heavy blow to Egypt's already-suffering tourism sector, one of the main sources of its national income and foreign currency.

Sources said an incoming meeting of the Egyptian cabinet will be held in the Red Sea resort, a message to the whole world that Egypt's tourist destinations are safe.

Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou also said he already had a plan to bring the tourist sector out of its current crisis after the flight suspensions.

Zaazou also said the cabinet allocated some five million U.S. dollars from the tourism fund to support tourism and convey the true situation in Egypt.

"Tourism movement will return to normal, after making sure that all the measures are taken at Egypt's airports and shunning claims by international media, which said that it is possible that the plane was brought down by a bomb," he said.

Egypt also plans to further boost tourism in its domestic and other Arab and Gulf markets, the minister said. Endit