Hundreds of tourists have fled the Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt after up to 90 people died in three bomb blasts in the city on 23 July.
According to security officials, a vehicle laden with explosives was driven into the lobby of the Ghazala Gardens hotel, located adjacent to the Jolie Ville Mövenpick hotel, before it was detonated.
Another bomb then exploded in the Jolie Ville’s car park -– believed to be hidden in a suitcase – before a second car bomb was detonated at the resort’s popular outdoor market.
The 176-room Ghazala Garden’s facade and lobby bar was completely destroyed in the attacks. Jolie Ville suffered minor damage and none of the guests were reported to have been injured.
The Egyptian ministry of tourism has said that most of the dead were Egyptian, although at least eight foreign nationals are believed to be among the casualties.
According the Reuters, busloads of tourists – some still wearing scuba diving gear – were seen arriving at the city’s airport shortly after news of the bombs spread across the resort.
The attacks come after a similar attack on the nearby resort of Taba in October 2004, which killed 34 people, and could have devastating effects on the Egypt’s tourism.
Tourism is the country’s most lucrative industry and relies heavily on foreign visitors for income and investment.
Last year 8.1 million tourists visited Egypt – a record for the country and a 34.1 per cent increase on 2003.
The World Tourism Organisation (WTO) condemned the attacks and called for people not to abandon Egypt as a holiday destination despite the atrocities.
WTO’s secretary general, Francesco Frangialli, said: “Despite the brutality of the attack, I have no doubt that Egyptian tourism will be capable of overcoming this shock, just as it has on other occasions in the past.
“We have to try and make sure that terrorist attacks and threats do not spoil people’s holiday plans, wherever they are going, and that Egypt is not discarded as a destination.”
The International Council of Tourism Partners (ICTP) denounced the attacks as cowardly acts of barbarism.
