Head of the Tourism Chambers Federation Elhamy al-Zayat said he cannot confirm whether Egypt was subjected to a conspiracy to destroy the tourism sector following the Russian passenger plane crash.
During a forum held Tuesday under "Tourism: Proposed Solutions to Confront Challenges and Negative Repercussions", Zayat said he expects the crisis to be resolved soon, especially given that Egypt is a big tourist destination during the winter season.
Many owners of tourism companies in Sharm el-Sheikh have complained of a recession that hit the resort city after the Russian plane incident caused several countries to suspend flights to the Sharm el-Sheikh airport.
Ali Hussein, owner of a tourism company, said that prior to the Russian plane accident the occupancy rate reached 80 percent, which was a very good ratio given recent political instability in Egypt.
Following the accident, the ratio dropped to betwen 20-30 percent, said Hussein, adding that about 50,000 tourists visited the city of Sharm al-Sheikh daily before the plane accident.
Hussein said Russian tourists make up 31 percent of the city's tourists, followed by the British with 24 percent.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
