Is it safe to go back to Sharm el Sheikh?
The travel industry has rallied around the stricken resort on the Red Sea Coast. One year on from the terror attack on a Russian jet, would YOU book a holiday to Sharm el Sheikh?
AS World Travel Market hit London this week, one of the big questions was whether flights should return to Sharm eh Sheikh.
The trade show is one of the biggest dates on the travel calendar and a prime time to ask whether Egyptian authorities have done enough to improve security.
Sharm el Sheikh on the Red Sea Coast was the site of a terror attack on a Russian passenger plane last October, killing all 224 passengers and crew.
More 30 tour operators and airline reps met in Parliament last week to explain to MPs the impact of the current flight ban. They pointed out the confusion over travel to Egypt; holidaymakers are unsure if it is even possible and where they can go if so.
“As more than 30 UK travel firms demand that the UK government confirm when direct flights to Sharm el Sheikh can resume, our data shows demand for flights to the Egyptian resort remains strong and is actually on the rise.”
“Searches for Sharm el Sheikh dipped this June but rallied by 74% by October, a year since the airline incident that triggered the ban on UK flights to and from the resort implemented a year ago.
“In July, Sharm searches dipped and we saw more interest for flights to Greece and Cyprus, which suggests Brits’ enduring appetite for a hot weather coastal break saw searches switch.
“We believe that the some of the searches result from curiosity borne from news reports about Sharm el Sheikh and the ongoing uncertainty around flights. Given that UK airlines have now been banned from direct flights for over a year, it’s remarkable that demand endures for a route facing such uncertainty.”
Currently, the FCO’s advice regarding Egypt is mixed. Only North Sinai is absolutely off limits; certain areas of South Sinai and to the west of the Nile Delta also carry a warning against all bu essential travel.
“The tourist areas along the Nile (including Luxor, Qina, Aswan, Abu Simbel and the Valley of the Kings) and the Red Sea resorts of Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada aren’t included in the areas to which the FCO advise against all but essential travel,” says the FCO website.
However, “as a precautionary measure, we are advising against all but essential travel by air to or from Sharm el Sheikh. We are not raising the threat level in the resort. The above advice applies only to air travel to and from Sharm el Sheikh.”
The 30 travel companies lobbying the government obviously feel air travel is now safe, but not all share their confidence.
“Just because others think it is safe, does not mean it is,” says John Telfer, product director at Explore.
“The FCO has access to more experts and information than tour operators and I am personally happy to follow their lead. So if they feel it is not ready to return, then I accept that advice.”