POLITICS-EGYPT: Israeli Tourists Pull Out of Sinai

By Cam McGrath Reprint | | Print |

Cam McGrath

NUWEIBA, Egypt, Aug 27 2002 (IPS) - Sabry Ibrahim lounges on a pillow in the shade, waiting to chat to the occasional tourist passing by his campsite in Bedouin village in Sinai Peninsula. Business is down 90 per cent, and now even a traveller stopping for a soft drink at the beachside cafe makes a difference.

“This camp used to be filled with Israelis, but now they are all gone,” he says. “We rarely see them here any more.” Political unrest has sapped tourism.

Egypt and Israel fought wars in 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973. A peace treaty brought the return of Sinai to Egypt in 1982 after a 15-year occupation by Israel. The rugged peninsula soon developed into one of Egypt’s major tourist destinations. Israelis headed for Sinai not as soldiers but as tourists.

Tourism establishments welcomed Israeli backpackers who brought hard currency to this historically poor region. Signs and menus in Hebrew speak of the special status Israelis enjoyed.

But the two years since the start of the Palestinian Intifada in September 2000 have been difficult. Earlier, more than 400,000 Israeli tourists flocked to Red Sea resorts in Egypt every year. Now only a handful venture across the border.

“September 11 made little difference to us because most of our guests were Israelis, not Americans or Europeans,” says Ibrahim. “It’s the Intifada that is keeping them away.”

Egyptian resorts closest to the Israeli border are hit hardest. Taba, a small resort near the border crossing, is a ghost town. Its shop windows are boarded up. Construction of a new hotel has been halted.

Further up in Nuweiba, Tarabin and Dahab many hotels and shops are closed, or operate irregularly. It is not just the Israelis staying away, local managers say. Other foreign travellers to both Israel and Egypt on “Holy Land tours” are staying away.

Israeli tourists are accustomed to a chilly reception in Egypt or at the most forced smiles. But now many fear that Egyptian resentment against them is about to boil over.

“We used to come here every summer with our friends,” says an Israeli tourist at a restaurant in Dahab. “But nobody wanted to come this time. Most of our friends went to Eilat (an Israeli resort).”

The decline in Israeli tourists is not surprising. The state media is full of virulent anti-Israeli propaganda. Demonstrators burn effigies of Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, an official boycott of Israeli goods is in effect, and “Jew” is used as pejorative.

Sinai tourism workers speak of “politics-free zones” around the Red Sea. “We see people as customers, regardless of their nationality,” insists the head waiter of a cafe in Dahab. But such views at resorts are not enough to bring the Israelis back.

There has been only one confirmed incident of violence against an Israeli visitor. A 42-year-old Israeli was found stabbed to death beside his car in Ma’agana, a village near Nuweiba in April. Police said he was carrying marijuana, and suggested a criminal motive behind the murder. But the case remains unsolved.

With Israeli tourists out of the picture, Egyptians and Europeans are filling some of the gap. “It’s good to see Egyptians here, but it’s not good for business,” says Emad Mohammed, a university student working at a beachside cafe in Tarabin. “Egyptian families bring their own food and drinks, and spend the whole day on our beach ordering only tea.”

Tourism officials say Israeli visitors are welcome whenever they decide to return, but the long-term strategy is to diversify. “We are trying to replace Israeli tourists with tourists of other nationalities,” says Ahmed El-Khadem, general manager of the Egyptian Federation of Tourism Chambers (EFTC).

The Ministry of Tourism is actively promoting the area in Europe and is subsidising charter flights to Sharm el-Sheikh, the international airport nearest to Egypt’s Sinai resorts. In addition, the national carrier is offering a 40 per cent discount on connecting flights to Taba. Hotel rates have been drastically reduced.

“Our strategy is built around doing everything we can to promote European visits,” says El-Khadem. “This is the way we have to go, as we don’t really see an imminent end to what’s going on in Israel and Palestine.”