Egypt cancels official New Year celebrations
Egypt’s Ministry of Culture has called off official celebrations of the New Year in solidarity with Palestinians during Israel’s attack on the Gaza strip.
The minister’s office said Wednesday state-sponsored events, including a popular concert in the Opera House, were called off because of the massacre on Gaza.
The Information Ministry also called off its major event, a concert by famous Lebanese heartthrob singer, Assi Hilani.
Egyptian state television official Ossama al-Sheikh said on Tuesday that the launch of new channel “Nile Comedy,” set for January 1, would be delayed “out of solidarity with the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.”
Images of destruction and death in Gaza have caused outrage around the Arab world and other Arab countries have also called off their celebrations.
Since Israel unleashed its massive aerial attack on Hamas and the Gaza Strip on Saturday, at least 374 Palestinians, including 39 children, have been killed and 1,720 wounded, Gaza medics say. During the same period, four Israelis have been killed by rockets fired from Gaza.
Lower Tourism Revenue Expected for Egypt
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Global financial crisis and its impact on the Egyptian economy may mean lower tourism revenue this year, according to Egypt’s minister of tourism.
Zohair Garanah said in an interview on Oct. 23 that the private sector is panicking because of the economic turmoil and is starting a price war, which will harm the industry in the long- term.
Tourism is the number one source of foreign currency income for Egypt, generating revenue of nearly $10 billion last year. Tourism accounted for 11.3 percent of gross domestic product in the last fiscal year, according to the minister. The country attracted 11 million tourists last year.
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