Egypt suspends hotel licences amid rape allegations
Egyptian officials have suspended the licences of two hotels following the recent rape allegation made by a British businesswoman in Sharm el Sheikh.
A UK businesswoman claims she was sexually assaulted by a hotel security guard in the popular Red Sea resort.
The woman, aged in her 40s, claims the guard attacked her after escorting her to her room on March 6.
In a statement released this week, the Ministry of Tourism said it is working closely with the local police and British authorities to thoroughly investigate the matter.
"Both the Hilton Sharks Bay Resort and Sharm Holiday Resort Hotel have had their licences suspended while the investigation takes place, and while the authorities look to apprehend the security guard accused of the attack," said Omayma El Husseini, director UK & Ireland, Egyptian Tourist Authority.
"All measures are being taken to ensure the safety of tourists, and due to this regrettable incident, the Ministry of Tourism has instantly initiated a process to black list any individuals convicted of harassing tourists.
"The enforcement of this will ensure any convicted individuals cannot be employed in the tourism industry in Egypt.
"Such incidents unfortunately have a negative impact on Egypt’s tourism at a time when the Ministry of Tourism is taking measures to promote the country to tourists."
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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