MP condemns operators for still selling Red Sea
Sunday, 01 Feb, 2011
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As Egyptians prepare for a huge protest rally on the streets of Cairo today, a Tory MP has hit out at tour operators still sending customers to Red Sea resorts despite the fact that the Foreign Office describes the area as calm.
Patrick Mercer MP said the Foreign Office should change its advice to no travel at all to Egypt and condemned operators for offering cut price deals to resorts like Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada.
Mr Mercer told ITV’s Daybreak: “If we pretend that things are going to improve in Egypt, we’re wrong.
“We must get our people out. Other nations have done that already. If we don’t then – excuse the pun – our nationals become a hostage to fortune, literally.
“Let’s implement the contingency plan which I know exists. Let’s get people out and let’s stop further people going there.
“Why holidays in Sharm el-Sheikh are still being advertised in different tourist agency windows I don’t know."
But a Thomas Cook spokesman said: “We have already said that the feedback we are getting from people out in the Red Sea resorts is that they are enjoying their holiday and are happy there.”
Meanwhile Thomson issued a statement which said: “As the Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice has not changed for Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada, Taba and Marsa Alam and as it is safe to do so, our operations will continue as scheduled.
“The majority of our customers are in Sharm el-Sheikh, which has not been affected by the demonstrations and is a considerable distance – indeed, an eight hour drive – from Cairo. To put this distance into context, it is the equivalent of driving from London to Dortmund, Germany or from Manchester to Bruges, Belgium via the channel tunnel.
“Thomson and First Choice can confirm that there have been no related incidents in Sharm el-Sheikh or any of the other popular Red Sea tourist areas. Our colleagues in resort have expressed that it is very much a ‘business as usual’ operation.
“The atmosphere is quiet and calm, with Sharm el-Sheikh’s main resort of Naama Bay bustling as people continue to enjoy their holidays as normal."
The statement added: “People should also take considerable reassurance from the fact that the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh operates like a country in itself. It is run separately from the rest of the Egypt, benefits from having just one secure road into the resort, and enjoys an exceptionally low crime rate. There is also no unemployment in Sharm el-Sheikh, since those living in the resort are only there because they are employed in tourism.”
The FCO website warns against all but essential travel to Cairo, Luxor, Suez and Alexandria. Although it says the Red Sea area is calm, it does add that the situation is unpredictable and may change quickly.
While the US is working on evacuating all its nationals from the country along with Austria, Bulgaria, Finland, Greece, Portugal and Turkey, the UK government revealed yesterday in parliament that it was working on a “contingency plan” to ensure the safety of the 20,000 Brits holidaying in Egypt but the FCO would not say if that plan included evacuation.
Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt said in a statement that the government “was planning for all eventualities”. He added that many Brits were not in Egypt’s trouble spots but instead in Sharm el-Sheikh.
by Dinah Hatch
Dinah
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