Sinai Attacks Appear to Have Limited Effect on Egyptian Tour

 

By Ursula Lindsey

The terrorist bombings last week at resorts along Egypt's Red Sea coast raised fears of another slump¹ in the country's tourism industry, a key sector² of its economy. The industry is still recovering from the negative impact of the 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, and earlier terrorist operations in Egypt that targeted tourists. Preliminary indications are that most tourists are not being deterred³ by the latest bombings.

Tourism is a key source of revenue for Egypt, earning $4.5 billion last year. It employs more than two million Egyptians, in a country where jobs are hard to come by. Officials expected 2004 to be a record year, with nearly 6.5 million visitors coming to the country in the last eight months.

So Egyptians have been worried that last week's car bombings in the Red Sea resort area called Taba, on the Sinai Peninsula, would cause a new slump in the industry.

A day after the attacks, civil engineer Ibrahim Abdel Meguid expressed that concern.

"People here are worried actually about the economic impacts. Not the political impacts, I don't think there will be any political impacts. But the economic impacts might be very serious, in terms of tourism, in terms of investment. This is what I think we're worried about."

But preliminary indications from Egyptian officials, travel agents and tourists are that the impact might not be as bad as had been expected.

At Panorama⁴ Tours in Cairo, manager Iman Abdel Wahab says she has registered very few cancellations for Sinai destinations, nearly a week after the Taba bombings.

"What we have seen as a response of the people is that the people [on] the second day they are all going there [to Sinai]. Nobody so far has cancelled, to any destination, even to Taba. The people are going normally. Some of them were heading to Dahab, others to Sharm [El Sheik], and they continue [to do] this. And they didn't say anything."

Ministry⁵ of Tourism spokeswoman Hala Al-Khatib does not expect any long-term negative impact either.

"I believe it's quite early to decide on the impact on the industry at large, however so far we are not getting much negative impact. People realize that this kind of explosion happens every day somewhere in the world nowadays."

Ms. Al-Khatib says many tourists link the Taba bombings to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and see them as retaliation⁶ for Israeli military actions in the Palestinian territories. No group has claimed responsibility for the bombings, and Israel says it does not think Palestinian militants⁷ are responsible for them.

The Taba Hilton hotel, which was destroyed in last week's biggest bombing, is only a short walk from the Israeli border. It has been a favorite destination for Israeli tourists ever since Israel occupied the Sinai in 1967, and continued to be one after Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1979, and the peninsula was returned to Egyptian control.

The explosions also damaged two nearby camping grounds. A string of such sites along the Red Sea coast are also popular destinations for Israeli tourists.

According to Israeli officials, 13 Israelis and 16 other foreign tourists were killed in the bombings, along with six Egyptians, possibly including the bombers⁸.

Thousands of Israeli tourists quickly fled the area, leaving behind dozens of empty hotels and campsites.

The U.S. and German embassies in Cairo have warned citizens against traveling to Sinai. The British, Russian and Italian embassies are urging caution. Israel had already issued a travel warning before the bombings, which was largely ignored.

But most hotel managers and tour operators in Egypt say they are not seeing any significant drop in air travelers or room reservations.

Ms. Al-Khatib at the tourism ministry notes that travel to Taba accounts for only about one percent of Egypt's tourist trade. Other parts of the Sinai get more visitors, but the really big attractions in Egypt are the Pyramids, just outside Cairo, and sites along the Nile River south of the capital.

Visitors are still flocking to those sites, and to the National Museum in Cairo. Some admit their friends and family members were worried about their plans to travel to Egypt. But they say they are reassured⁹ by heavy security at tourist sites.

British tourist Marianne Bell says she will not let the terrorist attacks intimidate¹⁰ her.

"It could happen in London. It could happen, unfortunately, in New York, or anywhere. And I feel you shouldn't be intimidated¹¹ by it otherwise they get to win, if nobody travels. And especially countries like this where they depend on tourism, it's such a shame if people stop coming. I think it's nice to come and support them and it's a fantastic place for us to see as well."

Egyptian officials are counting on that attitude to keep the tourism industry going, and its revenue flowing.

Ursula Lindsey for VOA news, Cairo.
注释：
preliminary 预备的，初步的
Sinai Peninsula 西奈半岛
Panorama Tours 全景旅游
militant 好战分子，武装分子
campsite 旅游野营地
reservation 保留，预约
intimidate 胁迫

1 slump   

n.暴跌，意气消沉，（土地）下沉；vi.猛然掉落，坍塌，大幅度下跌

参考例句：

• She is in a slump in her career.她处在事业的低谷。
• Economists are forecasting a slump.经济学家们预言将发生经济衰退。

2 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

3 deterred   

v.阻止，制止( deter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I told him I wasn't interested, but he wasn't deterred. 我已告诉他我不感兴趣，可他却不罢休。
• Jeremy was not deterred by this criticism. 杰里米没有因这一批评而却步。 来自辞典例句

4 panorama   

n.全景，全景画，全景摄影，全景照片[装置]

参考例句：

• A vast panorama of the valley lay before us.山谷的广阔全景展现在我们面前。
• A flourishing and prosperous panorama spread out before our eyes.一派欣欣向荣的景象展现在我们的眼前。

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

8 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 reassured   

adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The captain's confidence during the storm reassured the passengers. 在风暴中船长的信念使旅客们恢复了信心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The doctor reassured the old lady. 医生叫那位老妇人放心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 intimidate   

vt.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• You think you can intimidate people into doing what you want?你以为你可以威胁别人做任何事？
• The first strike capacity is intended mainly to intimidate adversary.第一次攻击的武力主要是用来吓阻敌方的。

11 intimidated   

v.恐吓；威胁adj.害怕的；受到威胁的

参考例句：

• We try to make sure children don't feel intimidated on their first day at school. 我们努力确保孩子们在上学的第一天不胆怯。
• The thief intimidated the boy into not telling the police. 这个贼恫吓那男孩使他不敢向警察报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》