Governor of South Sinai Khaled Fouda has invited representatives of tourism companies and British government officials to visit Sharm El-Sheikh during the first half of December 2019 to brief them on the positive conditions on the ground. Fouda's invitation came during his meeting on Wednesday with representatives of the British Home and Transport departments, as well as representatives of the security and marketing sectors of a number of airlines and tourism agents in Britain, in the presence of Egypt's ambassador to Britain Tarek adel. According to a statement issued by the Egyptian foreign ministry, the South Sinai governor said this a would enable them to present an attractive image and reflect the reality on the ground to their customers during their marketing campaigns for upcoming holiday seasons. The meeting addressed how to attract British tourists back to the city after the recent British decision to resume direct flights to and from Sharm El-Sheikh airport following a year-long flight ban. The meeting also addresses Egyptian efforts over the past few years to enhance security measures at Sharm El-Sheikh airport and tourist resorts, which resulted in Britain's decision last month to resume direct flights to Sharm El-Sheikh. The Egyptian side highlighted the ongoing expansion process of Sharm El-Sheikh airport, which aims to increase its capacity and simplify travel procedures and the reception of passengers. Last month, the British embassy in Cairo issued a statement announcing that the British government had informed airlines that it no longer advises against flying to Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh airport. The UK had banned direct flights to Sharm El-Sheikh in the wake of the downing of a Russian passenger jet in October 2015. Egypt has since boosted security procedures at its airports.
