ASWAN, Egypt: The Edfu-Mara Alam Road connecting Aswan and Red Sea governorates is once again open for traffic, reported Aswan Security Chief Ahmed Deef Saqr. Saqr also denied reports that Wady Abady residents stopped tour buses carrying 360 tourists – detaining 12 of them – during demonstrations. Wady Abady residents were protesting because irrigation water has been leaking and damaging the residents' homes. Many tourists were afraid to make the trip to Luxor because of security concerns in Upper Egypt, said First Assistant to the Egyptian Minister of Tourism Hesham Zazoa. “These incidents harm the tourism sector particularly because many of the tourists videotaped the event and sent them to be published in the foreign media,” said Zazoa. “Many also called their ambassadors to intervene and help them return to their hotels in Marsa Alam.” Some tourism companies are canceling overland trips and instead are arranging flights from Hurghada to Luxor in order to maintain revenue, he added. Zazoa called officials at the national security office, the tourism police and other security organizations in Aswan governorate to help quell the crisis and allow tour buses safe passage. A meeting will be held with the Egyptian Minister of the Interior in order to draw up new security procedures to continue to protect tourists and tourism. The Aswan security chief, the Secretary of the Ministry of Irrigation, the Edfu governor and other governorate security leaders convened at the demonstration and discussed strategies to end the crisis.
