Egypt gives stranded tourists the royal treatment
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Although hotels are overbooked by 7 percent in the Red Sea resort town of Hurghada and well over 80 percent in Sharm El Sheikh, hotel owners have been ordered (by Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism) not to expel guests who have overstayed their reservations.
Tour companies must continue to foot the bill for tour groups who overstay and if lodgers are traveling solo, hotels are obliged to offer them low rates. If travelers are in financial trouble, they have been advised to contact their embassies.
Egypt jealously protects its biggest money earner: tourism. About 12 million tourists, at least 65 percent of them from Europe, bring in about 11 billion dollars a year and 12.6 percent of the workforce lives off of tourism. All guests are welcome, even those who overstay.
While many hotels over overbooked, EgyptAir and other regional carriers sit idle on the tarmac. They are suffering to the tune of 250 million dollars a day. Before noon on Monday, more than 16 planes were grounded on Cairo’s tarmacs.
But in Egypt’s airports, you won’t find hapless visitors trying to catch some sleep on makeshift bedrolls, or slumped in plastic chairs. Tour guides are under strict orders not to drop anyone off at the airport until they have confirmed their flights.
Excerpted from an article by Charlene Gubash for msnbc,com
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