CAIRO: Referring to world reports and a warning by the British embassy about sexual harassment, Member of Parliament Mohsen Radi issued an “urgent call to the Minister of Tourism before the People’s Assembly’s (PA) annual break, with a list of demands to improve the tourism industry.
Radi referred to the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2008 issued by the World Economic Forum, in which Egypt was ranked 66 out of 130 countries.
“Unfortunately, countries like Tunisia, UAE and Morocco are now ahead of Egypt; this is bad performance that does not suit Egypt’s resources, Radi told Daily News Egypt.
Radi, a Muslim Brotherhood MP, used the warning by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to British citizens about potential for sexual assault and rape as a way to broach the larger subject of “reviewing the performance of the ministry for a bigger national income.
He believes that such a statement “defames Egypt.
The FCO advises British women to “take extra caution when traveling alone as there have been cases of harassment and sexual assault, including rape.
“It is not the British Authorities that defames us, but the harassment as a behavior is what really does. Such a statement would frighten tourists and make them refrain from coming to Egypt Radi said.
Ghada Habbashi of the British Embassy’s media office said that the warning is not new, and has been issued, without changes or additions, for few years. “In 2007 Egypt was one of the countries with the highest number of cases reported to our Consular staff of British nationals who were the victim of a sexual offence. Half a dozen of the cases reported to our Consular staff involved children under the age of 18, the Embassy said.
Eight cases of rape and sexual assault involving British nationals in Egypt were reported to the embassy this year; 24 in 2007, 11 in 2006, 18 in 2005 and seven in 2004.
Radi held the ministry responsible for this situation but also suggested that tourists should “abide by the Egyptian dress code.
“I’m asking them to abide by traditions. Women should dress modestly because there is a big sector of youth who passed the marriage age, and therefore, some form of harassment is possible, he said.
In general, tourists are advised to “dress modestly covering their legs and upper arms because the Egyptian society is “conservative and predominantly Muslim.
The British Embassy said that through the travel advice and distributing leaflets, they try to raise tourists’ awareness about local customs, traditions, laws, dress codes for women and public behavior.
Hala Al Khatib, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Tourism, said that the ministry’s two-year-old Tourism Awareness Program aims at increasing public awareness about the importance of tourism and how to deal with tourists.
“This program targets the masses and focuses on special groups like students and those working in the tourism business. Not only about the issue of harassment but [targets] everything that bothers tourists and increasing the public awareness of cultural differences.
Radi also suggested adopting different procedures aimed at improving the sector, like removing the police cars that escort all tourist buses.
“This gives an impression that the police are the source of security not the people, Radi said.
He also called for making tourism education part of the national school curriculum and ensuring that all college graduates visit at least five tourist sites to appreciate tourism.
