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Long road ahead for Egypt tourism

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Political unrest over the past two weeks has wreaked havoc on Egypt's economy. One of the country's main economic sectors is tourism, with as many as 15 million tourists visiting the country every year.

Sidi Abdel Rahman is famous for its beaches, golf courses, and vast deserts where camel rides are popular among holidaymakers. This hotel is the only one open in the area. Although it's currently the low season for the resorts in the area, occupancy of this hotel during the same period last year was around 30 percent. But now, only two adventurous tourists are making the most of the empty resort. Brits Rory and Lucy were intent on continuing their life-long dream of driving through the Horn of Africa by camper van.

Bory Macdiarmid, British Tourist in Egypt said "It's pretty weird being the only tourists because it's a great big hotel, fully staffed, we had a good meal last night, but it is just empty."

Lucy Macdiarmid said "We have decided to go and we take what comes as we go along, I think that is the answer."

Last year, nearly 15 million tourists visited Egypt, and the industry generated 11 billion U.S. dollars in revenue. The loss of tourism dollars is likely to aggravate the economic woes and frustrations of Egyptians who rely on visitors to make a living. Local residents are hoping life can return to normal before long.

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