Egypt is losing tourists
At the end of November, I managed to visit Hurghada once again. Egypt in those days was just preparing for the elections. Although in general everything was calm, but a certain tension and, most importantly, uncertainty about the future is felt. The decline in tourism is obvious, the revenue from merchants has fallen by 3-4 times, and most hotels are half empty. But the saddest thing is that service in hotels really falls. The quality of food in particular. Though not so rapidly, but still noticeably falling. Here are the "echoes" of the Arab Spring...
As for the police, there really are almost none, but there are many military men. Petty thieves have been in Hurghada before, but now they are clearly bolder, so tourists need to be careful. Although the rumors about the "rampant crime" in Hurghada, of course, are greatly exaggerated. . .
In general, the situation is far from the former serene calm. First of all, due to the fact that no one knows how events will develop further. Everyone is trying to convince themselves and others that the Islamists will not cut the branch they are sitting on. But it seems that the Egyptians themselves, employed in the tourist industry, strongly doubt this...
From my point of view, the hope is rather not for the common sense of the future new authorities, but for the army, the highest ranks of which own many hotels on the coast. Surely they will try to negotiate with the Islamists. But those, as has been emphasized more than once, are unpredictable.
So the curtailment of programs on Egypt in Russia after NG is inevitable. It has always been in one way or another, and now it is even more relevant. However, here in Samara the "process began" long before New Year's Eve. For example, "TEZ Tour" has already canceled both of its flights to Egypt. So for the first time in many years, the tour operator, which for a long time was considered "number 1" in our country, DOES NOT FLY AT ALL from Samara to either Sharm or Hurghada. Moreover, TEZ canceled its flights long before New Year... : )