Red Sea Occupancy Rates Drop

In this reposted article from Daily News Egypt, it paints a grim picture of the current situation with tourists in Egypt. K was on a boat trip today and he said although there were quite a few Egyptians on board, there was not one foreign face to be seen. Similarly, yesterday on the tourists strip of Mamsha there were plenty of Egyptians around, but no foreigners. Please don't let the local media discourage you, Hurghada and the Red Sea are still safe to visit!

Occupancy rates for the Laguna Vista hotel in Sharm El-Sheikh have dropped from 90% to 18% since the dispersal of pro-Morsi sit-ins at Rabaa Al-Adaweya and Al-Nahda Squares last month, according to Ahmed Mohamed, official in charge of reservations at the hotel. He expected these numbers to remain the same until at least the middle of next month.

He stated that Russia and Italy have placed travel warnings on Egypt set to last until 25 September, which have led to an 80% decreases seen in the region’s hotel occupancy rates.

Hatem Munir, Secretary of the Red Sea Egyptian Hotel Association stated that tourist rates of those coming into Egypt have dropped to 15%.

He said that hotel occupancy rates for the Red Sea region as a whole have dropped from 80% to 35% since the forced dispersal of the sit-ins.

Despite the insistence of hotel managers in Hurghada that the city’s occupancy rates have remained stable, Munir stated: “total occupancy rates in the city currently do not exceed 35%; 15% are foreigners, with the remaining 20% being Egyptians”.

He stated that Egyptian tourism within the country had also begun to drop with the end of the summer season and the beginning of the upcoming school year.

He went on to say that a number of Turkish-owned Russian tourist companies, such as Pegas, have taken advantage of Egypt’s political crisis to redirect tourists to Turkey, and away from destinations within Egypt.

He stated that companies were monitoring the outcome of the 30 August protests called for by supporters of former president Mohamed Morsi, despite the fact that the Red Sea region has not witnessed protests like that of Cairo and Alexandria.

Wasim Mahi Al-Din, Chairman of the Alexandria hotel group San Giovanni, stated that the city’s current occupancy rates were currently between 25% and 35%, compared to 80% seen during the same season in previous years.

He stated that most of those currently staying in the city’s hotels were Egyptians enjoying their summer vacations, compared to previous years which saw large numbers of Arab tourists travelling from abroad.

Mahi Al-Din said he expected these rates to decrease even further to 10% in the days following the 30 August protests called for by supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and Morsi.

City Tour of Hurghada

A video made by a friend of mine, Anja Buchloh, who lives  in Hurghada demonstrating the situation as it is these days. She includes interviews with locals and tourists, who many are being led to believe are being held inside their hotels. The video is in German and English, and I highly recommend checking it out.

Addendum: For some reason blogger isn't finding the video to insert into here, so please check it out by clicking HERE. 

How to Stage a Protest MB Style

This YouTube video would appear to show Muslim Brotherhood protesters staging an apparent demonstration, and striking the perfect pose for media hounds to get that ideal photograph showing the injured demonstrators. Unfortunately there's no indication as to when this video was shot, but it should serve as a reminder to always question what you are seeing as 'facts' these days. 

The Media Fallacy

Many of us have been raised to blindly accept anything that's reported on the news as truthful, honest, and transparent. But when you actually start learning more about the mechanisms of media and the driving force behind most media outlets (namely, sales), you quickly start to lose that feeling of transparency and objectivity when watching / reading news stories. This is particularly evident when you yourself have experienced a situation that's being reported on, such as what's going on in Egypt these days (or indeed back in the days of the 2011 revolution).

Source

One of the media outlets that continues to get flack for their biased reporting is Al-Jazeera channel. In July, an estimated 22 reporters working for the network left their posts objecting to what they described a blatant bias in favour of the Muslim Brotherhood. One reporter who walked out was former Al Jazeera Arabic anchor Karem Mahmoud, who in an interview with Cairo Scene said: "The coverage over the last few weeks was the tipping point – especially the airing of extreme speeches over the last few days, which have added to the crisis Egypt is seeing right now. There has been a strong insistence of airing unacceptable statements by some parties, as well giving much more space and air time to one group over another.

“Al Jazeera has long been perceived as being close to the Muslim Brotherhood, and whether the accusations of bias are true or not, it appears to be severely hurting the network’s ability to report on the crisis in Egypt. At a military-organized news conference earlier today, reporters from the network were kicked out, the Associated Press reports, while Reuters reports that some of the station’s offices were raided by the military (though it remains on-air).”

I have been watching Al-Jazeera over the past few days, interspersed with marathon news reading sessions and channel surfing. The blatant bias displayed on numerous channels has me begging the question: Are they seeing a different Egypt than we are? The number of times I have heard "peaceful protesters" in the past few days astounds me. Now I'm not claiming I believe one side more than the other, but I cannot readily accept that Al-Jazeera and a host of other channels have simply chosen to ignore the reports of armed protesters, and ignore the plethora of videos depicting armed individuals (be they protesters, thugs, whomever) roaming throughout Cairo. It astounds me, and leaves me fully sympathetic with many Egyptians who feel their stories are being overlooked by the often very one-sided reporting we are seeing. It was evident last night when listening to Al-Jazeera interview a Doctor via the telephone who was allegedly trapped inside the al-Fath mosque in Cairo claim while on the phone that there was live fire shooting from outside. Yet what he obviously failed to realise was that at that very moment, live coverage of the front of the mosque was being shown, with one crucial element missing: Live fire. Even the reporter questioned it, but then quickly moved on. 

It would appear that I am not the only one who has picked up on these many discrepancies, and I wish I could take credit for having grabbed my phone and snapped this video last night, but here is just one example of the questionable reporting by Al-Jazeera during these tense times. You'll note the blood on this man's shirt (and this video was looped repeatedly last night as 'proof' of the injured protesters) as the individual examining him lifts his shirt up in search of the wound that this blood is seeping from...and there is nothing there. O.o So what's really going on here? 

Is Egypt Safe to Visit?

According to The Guardian and the UK's Foreign Office (FCO), the answer is "yes" as long as you're heading for a holiday in the sunny Red Sea! Wayhay!

As Egypt reels from the worst violence in decades, the nation's vital tourism industry seems certain to suffer. Egyptian security officials are forcefully dispersing sit-ins, resulting in a spiralling toll in deaths and injuries, while the country is under emergency law until further notice. So what to do if you're already booked to holiday there?

The Foreign Office (FCO) currently advises against all but essential travel to the country, except for the Red Sea resorts, such as Sharm el-Sheikh and Dahab. Meanwhile, the Egyptian daily newspaper al Alhram reports that the ministry of state for antiquities has closed all archaeological sites and museums across Egypt.

British Airways says it has altered flights schedules to Cairo so that they do not land in the evening, into the dusk-to-dawn curfew that has been imposed across the capital and other major areas. "We are keeping the situation in Egypt under constant review," a British Airways spokesperson said. "We are also offering customers the option of rebooking to a later date, or to another destination."

Britain's biggest travel operator, Thomson and First Choice, states: "The majority of our customers are in Sharm el-Sheikh which is a considerable distance – indeed, an eight-hour drive – from Cairo. There have been no related incidents in Sharm el-Sheikh or any of the other popular Red Sea tourist areas." Booking conditions for the resort destinations of Sharm el Sheikh, Marsa Alam, Taba and Hurghada remain "as normal", with tourists flying into the resorts airports. The operator currently has 11,769 British tourists in Egypt.

The vast majority of travellers heading to the Red Sea resorts fly there directly. EasyJet runs flights to Sharm el-Sheikh, which land outside of curfew hours. A spokesperson for the airline said the company can refund tickets that have already been booked, but added they haven't seen any demand for this.

The UK travel association Abta also states that conditions relating to travel to Red Sea resorts are continuing as normal, although customers travelling outside of this area "will be offered the option of deferring their date of travel, transferring to another destination or having a full refund for as long as the advice remains in place". It assures that: "Red Sea resorts are largely self-contained and autonomous with the majority of customers staying in large complexes, often all-inclusive with a wide selection of bars and restaurants."

But the FCO has further cautions on what travellers should do when they actually get to these resorts. Its latest statement says: "Travel advice for Red Sea resorts remains unchanged but local authorities in Sharm el-Sheikh have temporarily stopped tourist excursions. In Hurghada the police have advised tourists to remain within hotel grounds. We advise British tourists to follow the regulations set by the local authorities and to obey curfews. British tourists should also ensure they keep valid identification with them at all times."

Travel journalist Matthew Teller, who specialises in the Middle East, says that there is an inherent difficulty around travel advice in such cases.

"What the FCO does or doesn't say rules the roost in terms of what tour operators can and can't offer clients." Even if it doesn't seem like you can do much while you're there, major tour operators aren't likely to let you change plans if you're booked to travel to an area the FCO has deemed to be safe for travel.

Meanwhile, cruise operators MSC, Costa and Holland America Line are all reported to have pulled their Egypt-bound ships. This latest crisis will be a sharp blow to the Egyptian tourism industry, which is struggling to recover in the turbulent period following the uprising of 2011, which deposed Hosni Mubarak.

In 2010, a record 14m tourists arrived in Egypt and the industry represented 13% of GDP, directly or indirectly employing one in seven workers. But even before the recent crisis, the Egyptian tourism federation estimated hotel occupancy rates in Cairo to be around 15% while in Luxor – the site of the Valley of the Kings, that figure was barely in single digits.

Cairo Clear Out Live Updates

The day of the clear out has arrived, and as was to be expected the MB protesters who have been camped out in Rabaa for weeks now are not leaving easily. Cairoscene is providing live updates throughout the day, but as of 12 pm today these are the updates. I hope for an ultimately peaceful solution to his clear out, but unfortunately I don't think anyone is really expecting that.

Egypt woke up to the news that pro-Morsi sit-ins in El Nahda and Raba'a Adaweya Squares are being cleared. We'll be updating this article as the events unfold.

11.45 - State TV: Police station in Waraq broken into, weapons stolen by pro-Morsi protestors. 

11.42 - Protests erupt across El Fayoum, with all routes leading to the governorate having been closed off. Reports state that a Coptic organisation has been attacked in the area.

11.41 - Clashes at Raba'a Adaweya continue. Photo via @mosaaberizing:

11.36 - Egyptian Cabinet of Ministers to hold emergency meeting later today.

11.35 - Ministry of Health reports the deaths of 5 policemen.

11.34 - Al Haram Street closed in both directions at tunnel (Giza Square end) by pro-Morsi protestors.

11.30 - Pro-Morsi supporters gather rocks from Heliopolis/Nasr City tram line. Photo via @KFahim:

11.20 - MoI is said to have gathered intelligence that suggests Muslim Brotherhood leaders have called upon protestors to attack police stations across Cairo.

11.10 - Morsi supporters close Cairo Ring Road in several locations.

11.09 - State TV: Violent clashes between security forces and protestors on El Nasr Street.

11.07 - State TV: 6th October Bridge in Cairo completely closed.

11.00 - Pro-Morsi rally congregates at Al-Fath Mosque in Ramsis Square.

10.53 - Reports that church in Sohag has been set ablaze are true. Photo via @EgyptianStreets:

10.52 - Ministry of Aviation assures all flights in and out of Egypt operating as normal.

10.43 - Pro-Morsi alliance announces 20 marches across Cairo today.

10.36 - MoI reports 200 arrested at El Nahda clear-out.

10.32 - There are reports that Muslim Brotherhood leaders Safwat El Hegazi and Mohamed Beltagy are being surrounded by police forces in a residence near Raba'a Square.

10.22 - The Central Bank of Egypt has announced that banks will be closed at 12pm today.

10.17 - Video shows armed pro-Morsi protestors in Gamaet El Dewal Street, Mohandiseen.

10.15 - Tear gas fired in Raba'a as police forces close in on sit-ins. Photo via @SoltanLife:

10.12 - Churches in Sohag, Upper Egypt and Heliopolis, Cairo are said to have been attacked in retaliation to sit-in clear-outs.

10.05 - Live ammunition seized at El Nahda. Photo via @3mo_Shehab:

10.03 - Protests opposing the sit-in clear-outs have errupted in Suez and Alexandria.

9.58 - Tear gas is fired at Mostafa Mahmoud, forcing pro-Morsi demonstrators to extend their sit-in to Batal Ahmed Abdel-Aziz Street, Mohandiseen. Photo via @JGulhane:

9.43 - Ministry of Interior claims 5 dead and over 50 injured in sit-in clear-outs in Nahada and Raba'a Adaweya.

9.42 - Trains from Upper Egypt to Cairo have been stopped.

9.41 - El Nahada sit-ins regrouping at Mostafa Mahmoud Square, Mohandiseen.

9.39 - Gunshots heard in Raba'a Adaweya, where weapons have been seized from with-in the dispersed sit-ins. 

Where to Go: South Beach

The newest beach bar to open in Hurghada is South Beach, conveniently located on the touristic strip on Sheraton Road, opposite the Moon Beach Hotel.

Photo courtesy of Hurghada POP

South Beach boasts European run management, catering to all kinds of individuals, but taking service above and beyond the 'average' that is seen in many other beach bars in the tourist town.

South Beach has spacious sunbeds and easy access to a clear beach and gorgeous swimming. They offer food and drink throughout the day, and night-time entertainment throughout the week ranging from live music to DJs blasting the hottest tracks of the day. As they say themselves: "European owned and managed, South Beach is built from the ground up, directly on the beach using only natural materials to the highest standards; South Beach raises the bar in terms of quality and service. 

Our kitchen is state of the art and the menu will be something different from what you normally find in this area, simple yet delicious using only fresh produce as well as herbs and spices from our own garden. The bar offers a wide selection of cocktails, beers and wines and a few of our own specials of course."
This Eid marked South Beach's big opening weekend, and the reviews have been stellar. So if you're looking for a trendy new venue in Hurghada, a clean and friendly beach environment all within an affordable price, check out South Beach. Entrance during the day is just 45 LE, making it very affordable too!

One of the advantages of South Beach is their acknowledgement of an issue that many people face in Egypt - dirty water! "Pure water is essential to us; therefore we have invested in our own commercial water purification system. This will ensure that all food preparation areas, bar service, ice makers, coffee machines and even the dish washers are supplied with 100% pure drinking water." It doesn't get much better than that :) 

For more information check out their facebook page here. 

A Taste of Egypt: Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Hummus

I'm slightly obsessed with Hummus, and have on occasion gone to the supermarket here with the sole intention of buying multiple tubs of it. So you can imagine my delight when I finally decided to purchase a blender here and embark on the process of making my own hummus. It was enormously successful, absolutely delicious, and a recipe that I will certainly be turning to again in the future. Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, quick and easy, and beautiful on sandwiches with some tomatoes, or as a side dish for any meal.

So here's what you'll need: 

2 cups dry chick peas

2 roasted red bell peppers

2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

juice of half of a lemon

3 tbsp tahina

2-3 garlic cloves (or garlic flakes)

½ cup water (more if necessary)

⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

4 tsps extra virgin olive oil for bell peppers

1 tbsp ground cumin

Note: You can use canned chickpeas and if you're short on time this is the ideal alternative. However I would really recommend for superior taste and quality hummus to use fresh chickpeas. 

Directions: 

1. Soak your fresh chickpeas in a large bowl of water, ensuring the water sits roughly an inch over the chickpeas and allow to soak overnight. 

2. The next morning, drain your chickpeas and place into a large pot. Cover with water, add the salt and baking soda. Bring to a boil. 

3. Once boiling, reduce heat to a rolling boil. Cook chickpeas for approximately an hour. 

4. In the meantime, slice your red bell peppers. Stick on a roasting pan lined with aluminium foil. Drizzle with olive oil and roast in your oven using the broiler setting for approximately 30-40 minutes. Turn about half way through to ensure an even roasting. 

5. When your peppers and chickpeas are cooked, let both cool to room temperature. 

6. Combine your chickpeas, peppers, olive oil, lemon, garlic, cumin and tahina into a blender. On a slow speed allow to blend together. Slowly add water to bring your hummus to your desired consistency, personally I like mine almost the consistency of porridge. ;) 

7. You can sprinkle a little bit of extra cumin / black pepper on the top to garnish when serving. 

Bil Hana Wa Shiva!