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Foreign Tourists Flee Egyptian Protests, Riots

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Egypt's World-Famous SphinxAs political unrest in Egypt’s major cities continues, foreign tourists are still faced with uncertainty over their personal safety.

Throughout the week, demonstrators crowded Cairo, Alexandra and Suez, protesting November’s national elections in which Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak won in what was widely considered a fixed race.

Mubarak has remained in control of Egypt for close to three decades. It is widely expected that when he steps down from power, his son will take the reins.

Despite reported violence to BBC journalists, the British Foreign Commonwealth Office did not issue a travel advisory, but warned its citizens to follow the curfew imposed in Cairo, Alexandra and Suez.

The U.S. Department of State said it is “closely monitoring the situation,” but did not issue a travel warning. The consulate’s travel advisory page for Egypt was unreachable Friday afternoon.

However, travel companies did not hesitate to cancel tours and cruises, in light of similar events that took place earlier this month in Tunisia.

After protesters took to the streets in downtown Tunis, thousands of foreign tourists were stranded at their respective consulates when Tunisia’s airspace was completely locked down.

Peter at Luxor Temple, Egypt at a recent anti-Human Trafficking ConventionThere are currently no reports of travelers having difficulty leaving Egypt, but a state-wide shutdown of cellular and Internet networks has made it difficult for tourists to make alternate travel plans.

The unrest in Egypt couldn’t have come at a worse time.

This past Saturday, Accor Hotels Group, which operates more than 4,000 hotels worldwide, sponsored a four-day conference of more than 450 French travel agents in Luxor. According to Accor, Egypt welcomes around 550,000 French tourists annually.

Though the conference ended Wednesday, before the worst of the protesting, travel agents may have to reevaluate sending business to Egypt in the short term. And that could be the necessary leverage the protesters need.

For a developing nation like Egypt, tourism is paramount. The industry employs nearly 3 million people locally, and contributed close to $9.9 billion to the economy.

By Fernando Padilla for PeterGreenberg.com.

Related links: The Telegraph (UK), Seattle TimesNew York Times

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