Egyptian Tourist Industry, One Step Forward, Two Steps Back!

[ToraToraTora]

https://news.sky.com/story/british-holidaymaker-51-in-egyptian-jail-after-patting-officer-on-the-back-11933268
Their tourist board must be tearing their hair out! I recently saw their "come to Egypt" ads and this sort of thing does them no favours.

[emmie]

not a place to go, patting him on the back, ummm

[emmie]

very bizarre case, let's hope he is let go soonest.

[douglas9401]

A couple of pointy heaps of rubble would not draw me to this third world country.

[ToraToraTora]

... or as Karl Pilkington said in "an idiot abroad" - a game of Jenga that got out of hand!

[naomi24]

In backward countries you shut up and do as you're told. Silly man.

[sevenOP]

Hopefully tourist-cashpower will ensure his release ( and UK govt intervention)

https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/booking-your-winter-sun-getaway-remember-egypt-still-police-state

[emmie]

patting someone on the back though, it's not a crime surely...

[naomi24]

emmie, Egyptian police and security personnel are not your friendly neighbourhood bobbie.

[ToraToraTora]

the Guy's a plonker, as a seasoned traveler he should know that airport staff the work over have no sense of humour, especially in, chip on shoulder, tish los like these. However jail seems harsh, no doubt the UK Embassy staff will get him out but this will do untold damage to their fragile tourist industry that so many depend on.

[emmie]

i wouldn't go there at any rate, as some say it's backwards and not friendly...

[Deskdiary]

I went to Hurghada with my family in 2014 (wife, 11 y/o daughter and 6 y/o son) and it was the worst holiday ever - experiencing the airport on arrival made me realise we'd made a mistake in booking the holiday, as it was hell; it never ceases to amaze me that the more backward the country the more hoops you have to jump through to get in AND get out.

You'd think that an area like Hurghada, which is heavily reliant on tourism, would be welcoming - far far from it.

After the experience of the airport, it just got worse...

Awful service, leering staff, constant tip demands, and if you don't tip to a level they want, the service gets even worse, they hate women (my wife was routinely ignored and men served before her even though she was before them - we never once saw a female employee), inappropriate comments to my 11 year old daughter (Eleven for gawd's sake) - it was just awful and it was a relief when the holiday came to an end.

I wouldn't take a holiday to a muslim country again if the holiday was free.

[naomi24]

I know Egypt very well and believe it or not it used to be much better than that^. It's all very political now - and it shows.

[tiggerblue10]

Islamic countries now appear to be adopting harsher laws and practices than ever before. Is that the case or am I wrong? Genuine question btw.

[jno]

I suspect the same would happen if you tried patting a security officer on the back at Heathrow while he was patting you down. A pretty dumb thing to do.

[ToraToraTora]

they wouldn't sling you in chokey for a week jno.

[naomi24]

Tiggerblue, no, you’re not wrong, but the most noticeable change comes from the political attitude of Islamic societies towards the west. For example, thirty years ago you’d be pushed to find veiled women in Egypt’s capital, Cairo. No so in today’s world. The political uniform of Islam may be seen in abundance there now.

[sevenOP]

"Islamic countries now appear to be adopting harsher laws and practices than ever before"

Egypt, Thailand and Fiji are all run by the military.

[tiggerblue10]

Iran probably being the worst after the fundamentalists took over back in the 80s.

[sevenOP]

Must be all those military Wahhabists in Iran ??

[jno]

they might, TTT, I don't know what their exact powers are but at the very least they could stop you catching your flight while they investigated.

But it's not just about security. How would people feel about it if an assistant at Boots patted them on the back while talking to them?