ΑΙΓΥΠΤΟΣ: Ακυρώσεις και μεγάλη προσοχή...

Η συνεχιζόμενη αναταραχή στην Αίγυπτο έχει  δημιουργήσει μεγάλες αναταράξεις στην ταξιδιωτική βιομηχανία της Αγγλίας. Οι tour operators παρακολουθούν εκ του σύνεγγης όλες τις εξελίξεις, σε συνεργασία με το υπουργείο Εξωτερικών, ενώ έχουν ακυρώσει τα περισσότερα προγράμματα με εξαίρεση κάποιες περιοχές στην Ερυθρά Θάλασσα στις οποίες δεν έχουν υπάρξει γενικευμένες ταραχές.
Μια πολύ καλή αποτύπωση της κατάστασης από το Travelmole ακολουθεί:
" Tour operators are closely monitoring the situation in Egypt as the country's army stepped in to oust its president. UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said the situation in Egypt is "clearly dangerous" and called on all sides to show "restraint and avoid violence". "We continue to advise British citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to Egypt apart from the Red Sea resorts, and to monitor travel advice from the Foreign Office," he said. Discover Egypt, Thomson, First Choice, Kuoni and other operators have cancelled holidays to some parts of the country following the Foreign Office change of advice. The FCO is now advising against all but essential travel to Egypt, apart from the Red Sea Resorts in Sinai and the Mainland Red Sea Coast. Discover Egypt has cancelled holidays due to depart up until tomorrow (Friday) and has not yet confirmed if the cancellations will be extended. Kuoni is contacting customers who are due to fly to Egypt within the next seven days who are staying in the affected areas. "We will be working closely with our customers to find a suitable alternative. If this cannot be arranged they will be entitled to a full refund of their holiday," it said. "The Kuoni Operations team will continue to monitor the situation working closely with the FCO and Kuoni's ground agents." Thomson and First Choice have cancelled all outbound flights to Luxor and are repatriating all customers currently in Luxor. Thomson has also re-routed a cruise with scheduled Egyptian stops. However, it said the majority of its customers are in Sharm el Sheikh, an eight-hour drive from Cairo and not part of the Government warning. A spokesman said: "People should also take considerable reassurance from the fact that the resort of Sharm el Sheikh operates like a country in itself. It is run separately from the rest of the Egypt, benefits from having just one secure road into the resort, and enjoys an exceptionally low crime rate. "Our colleagues in these resorts have also expressed that it is very much a 'business as usual' operation. The atmosphere is quiet and calm, with Sharm el Sheikh's main resort of Naama Bay bustling as people continue to enjoy their holidays as normal. "In addition, we can confirm that there have been no related incidents in Sharm el Sheikh or any of the other popular Red Sea tourist areas. "We continue to monitor the situation closely and work with the Federations of Tour Operators and the FCO in order to plan appropriate steps should the advice change." The Foreign Office said it is not recommending "immediate departure" for those already in Egypt, but Britons in areas where they are advising against essential travel should consider whether they have to stay. It also advised holidaymakers using Cairo airport as a transit stop not to leave the airport grounds. It said: "While in Egypt they should stay at or close to home or a place of safety (e.g. their hotel), keep a low profile and pay close attention to their personal safety, particularly in the larger cities. They should take particular care to avoid crowds. The situation is changeable and they should continue to watch our travel advice closely." ABTA issued a statement on its website advising holidaymakers travelling to affected areas such as Cairo and Luxor to contact their travel company. "Holidaymakers to the Red Sea Resorts, such as Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada, are not affected by the change of advice and will be able to continue their holidays as planned; the resorts are operating as usual," it said. Violent clashes overnight claimed more lives in Cairo and Alexandria. Reports say 50 people have died since the unrest began on Sunday".

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