SHARM EL-SHEIKH - Egyptians, foreign nationals, and tourists celebrated the Egyptian revolution in an unprecedented event for the love of Egypt in the lovely resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh. In the glamorous SOHO square of Savoy hotel in Sharm, over 5,000 attendees stood for one minute of silence in respect to the martyrs who were killed during the revolution. It was a moment of shared love among the living for those who sacrificed their lives for a better Egypt. Everyone around the square was smiling, full of gratitude to be present at such an event. A heartfelt thank you for the youth who organised this event under the umbrella logo "We Love Egypt" and in co-operation with several travel agencies. A heartfelt thank you for those who have faith in Egypt, for all the foreigners who stayed in Egypt during the revolution and did not leave. This inspiring event, held on February 22, brought together people from different parts of the world to celebrate in Sharm's safe haven. Egyptian flags were distributed at the entrance as well as ‘tombola' tickets for 15 lucky winners. Each prize was for one free week at one of several Sharm hotels. It was an exhilarating scene seeing all those who waved their Egyptian flags and they themselves were not Egyptians by birth, but felt Egyptian with pride. Another capturing poster exhibited the message "We Love Egypt" with one half portraying the Egyptian flag, the second half the British flag, which for me presented the deep love the British people have for Egypt. Dawn Bacon, the Honorary British Consular in Sharm, spoke of her faith in Sharm's safe environment and expressed sincerity to promote tourism in the area. Unlike other countries that gave a high level of danger to the area of a category three, Britain gave only a level one. This meant that Britain knows the peaceful nature of Egypt and had faith in the outcome of the revolution. "The main goal of the event was for the revival of tourism to Sharm el-Sheikh," Hanan Khalil of Savoy Hotel said, "to send a message to the world of the safe and peaceful makeup of Sharm's location." "On Valentine's Day, February 15, 2011, a similar event was organised in Hurghada by the same group of youth operating under the umbrella banner "We Love Egypt", Khalil elaborated. Local and foreign residents, tourists and visitors celebrated together in front of Esplanada Mall. Other future events are going to be launched in both Luxor and Aswan with the same message. There might me some concern about being in Cairo or Alexandria for tourists, but life in Cairo went with usual normalcy and I did not encounter any incident, even going to Al Tahrir square, where my safety was not jeopardised. However, the Red Sea resorts, and particularly Sharm, are calm and, in fact, visiting there now is a blessing because of the unprecedented feelings of human bonding one would experience among people from different backgrounds who resides in this beautiful city. Sharm is ready for foreign and local tourists, new ones and those who left when the events unfolded to come back. Sharm's doors are wide open for everyone.
