London: While those from many western countries stay away, British tourists are reportedly flocking to Egypt despite the resurgence of civil unrest in which at least 14 protesters were shot dead by police in Cairo. Flights are still almost full as British holidaymakers take advantage of cheaper deals in Red Sea resorts such as Sharm el Sheikh in the wake of the civil unrest in places like Cairo, the `Sunday Express` quoted tourism chiefs as saying.
Egyptian authorities have announced incentives for charter operators in a bid to thwart the tourism crisis that has followed January`s revolution, jeopardising an industry worth 11 per cent of the country`s output. The Foreign Office has not warned against travel to Egypt but urges Britons to avoid Cairo where tension is mounting.
"The situation is volatile and changing rapidly. There is a high risk of indiscriminate attacks on public places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers," a Foreign Office spokesman was quoted as saying.
Yet resort destinations such as Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada, 300 miles away, are unaffected.
Neil Garner, of the Monarch Travel Group, said: "Our figures for November show that Britons are still flocking to the Red Sea, though Europeans and Russians seem to be staying away. Flights to Sharm have been 97 per cent full."
Khaled Rami, director of the Egyptian Tourist Office for the UK and Ireland, said most of the country was safe, adding: "If you look at Tahrir Square you would think all of Egypt is burning, but only in the way that anybody outside of the UK who saw footage of the August riots would think all the UK was burning." PTI