An Egyptian minister said that tourists who drink alcohol or wear bikinis are welcome in the country.
“Bikinis are welcome in Egypt and booze is still being served,” Hisham Zaazou, the country’s tourism minister, told Reuters.
Zaazou is not a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist political party that has dominated Egyptian politics since the fall of Hosni Mubarak in early 2011. Tourism has gone downhill since Egypt’s revolution.
“We had talks with these Salafi groups and now they understand the importance of the tourism sector, but still you have some individuals that are not from the leadership saying these things,” he added.
In December, the Egyptian government increased taxes on alcohol but later scuppered the move. Tourist officials and liberals panned the proposal.
Zaazou, speaking in Dubai, also told Middle-East Online that his country is trying to combat the alleged negative media portrayal of Egypt regarding safety for tourists.
“It was not really fair of the media to focus on one square kilometer, Tahrir Square, because it is not really a reflection of the one million kilometers of Egypt,” he told the website. “While maybe it is reality that there were some demonstrations there and some violence, it is also reality that the rest of Egypt is safe, secure and open for business.”
He said that tourism accounts for 11.3 percent of Egypt’s gross-domestic-product and gives numerous job opportunities.
