Egyptian official: Russia could allow its tourists back soon

Head of the Tourism Authority Samy Mahmoud said he expects the Russian authorities to issue a decision soon to allow its tourists back to Egypt.

Speaking to MENA on the sidelines of the extraordinary meeting of the Arab Federation of Engineers on Sunday, Mahmoud said he hopes the Russian authorities respond swiftly to new Egyptian security measures regarding airports.

He also pointed out to a campaign launched by the Tourism Ministry “This is Egypt” to improve the mental image about Egyptian tourist destinations, saying that the ministry had hired two international companies specialized in public relations and crises management to this end.

On November 6, Russia suspended all flights to Egypt following a Russian plane crash which killed all 224 people on board over Sinai in late October and pulled out its holidaymakers, nearly 50,000, from Egypt.