Egypt tourism fears

Ekrami Latif, a diving instructor in the Red Sea tourist resort El Gouna, remembers well the moment when it became clear that Mohammed Morsi would be Egypt's new president.

The streets of the resort remained largely quiet with just two cars driving by honking in celebration at the news, he said. The majority of the Red Sea resort's residents had voted for Mursi's rival Ahmed Shafik, a representative of the old regime.

Sitting at a café with friends in downtown El Gouna in the midday heat, Latif said Morsi's appointment had sparked fears in the area that tourists might stay away.

"Of course I'm worried about my job," the 36-year-old said. "Tourists quickly move on to other countries where is the weather is just as good and the people are hospitable."

A bikini ban?

There's no lack of hospitality in El Gouna either. It's a place where tourists can surf, swim, dive or sail all day or relax in the many luxury restaurants with plentiful seafood buffets. But if Ekrami Latif and others like him in the tourism industry are to believed, those days could well be over.

Concerns for the future of the lucrative tourism sector have mounted amid fears that the new Islamist leadership might impose strict Islamic laws that could scare off Western holidaymakers.

in the last Egyptian parliament that was dissolved in June, several members of the Muslim Brotherhood debated a bikini - and alcohol ban. That could prove fatal for El Gouna and other tourist magnets on the Red Sea.

Tourism is the third-largest sector of the Egyptian economy, responsible for every sixth job in the country. A drop in visitor numbers would be catastrophic for an economy severely battered by the turmoil that followed the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak last year. Investment to Egypt is drying up and foreign currency reserves have plummeted.

Fears remain in the tourism sector that the new leadership may not tolerate the European tourist lifestyle, characterized by parties, alcohol and what some see as "indecent" clothing.

Any ban would most certainly not be welcomed by Western tourists. Dutch national Annemarie Bakker has been to Egypt several times.

Dressed in a skimpy top and shorts at lunch at an El Gouna restaurant, she said she enjoys a beer early in the day when she's on vacation. That's something she certainly can't imagine not doing. "If we're not allowed to wear a bikini or drink alcohol - no, then I won't be coming back," Bakker said.

Morsi vows to boost tourism

But for now, fears of the new government clamping down on skimpy swimwear and alcohol seem unfound. In his first address after becoming president, Mohamed Morsi promised that he would work to attract investment in all areas of the economy and do his best to revive tourism and to return it to the same robust shape it was in before the revolution.

According to the Egyptian Tourism Ministry, the sector's revenues fell 30 percent in 2011 compared to the previous year. Unrest and street riots in Cairo have kept away visitors over the past year though most of the tourist magnets are far removed from the capital. Despite the country's world famous pharaonic ruins, it is beach tourism that makes up the vast proportion of Egypt's tourism activity.

Adham Mahmoud, who's responsible for tourism in El Ghouna, however is optimistic. He said he believes President Morsi's words, pointing out that since he took office there haven't been any cancellations in the resort. Adham is well aware that Morsi faces much bigger challenges than pushing through Islamic dogmas.

"Unemployment and poverty - those are points that are right on top of his list," Adham said. "He certainly can't allow a dispute with an industry that's doing well."

Fears remain

But Ekrami Latif, the diving instructor, isn't as upbeat. Morsi is part of the Muslim Brotherhood and an opportunist, he pointed out, who would change his political direction to match the current mood. If Morsi were put under pressure by the more radical Salafists, he could be pushed into passing tourist-unfriendly measures, he added.

There's another worry on Latif's mind. He's a Christian just like around half the population of El Ghouna. Unlike other Egyptian towns, Christians and Muslims here work together closely. The small resort has both a church and mosque. During Ramadan, Christians work more while Muslims do their share during Christmas, he said.

But that religious harmony could come to an end with Morsi, a Muslim Brotherhood politician, at the helm, Latif said.

"I think there could be many laws against Christians," Latif said. "And I think there will be much more divisions between Muslims and Christians. We don't know that but we're worried."

It's now up to the new Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi to honor his pledges and ease the fears of people like Ekram Latif and other Christians and workers in the tourism industry.

"We're hoping for the best," Ekrami Latif said. "Everyone deserves to lie on our beautiful beaches in a bikini and with a bottle of beer."

Author: Viktoria Kleber /sp
Editor: Rob Mudge