We respect beach tourism, says Brotherhood
Egypt Independent Sun, 15/01/2012 - 20:15
http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/603016

Saying it wants to boost tourism, the Muslim Brotherhood has issued
assurances that it will not seek to impose stringent restrictions on foreign
tourists.

In a meeting on Sunday with members of the Egyptian Businessmen Association,
Ahmed Suleiman, the head of the tourism committee at the Freedom and Justice
Party, said that tourists would be free to wear, drink and eat what they
want.

“We’re very sorry that tourism was affected after the revolution,” added
Suleiman.

On Sunday, Tourism Minister Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour said that revenues from
tourism were US$8.8 billion in 2011, down from $12.5 billion in 2010.

Tourism accounted for more than a tenth of Egypt's gross domestic product
before this year's upheaval. It employed an estimated eighth of the national
workforce in a country of high unemployment.

“We intend to encourage cultural tourism alongside beach tourism,” he said,
adding that the party also intends to bring out statues of Pharaohs that are
kept in warehouses, and display them along the banks of the Nile in an open
museum.

“And we will also promote medical and incentive tourism,” he said.

The success of Islamists in the parliamentary elections, in which they won
nearly two thirds of seats, has raised concerns among liberals and
businesses that an Islamist dominated parliament may seek to Islamize the
country’s legal system.

Islamists have been under pressure to define their stances on a wide range
of issues including “sin-free tourism,” where booze, bikinis and mixed
bathing at beaches are disallowed.

They have sent contradictory messages, with some saying they respect people’s
personal freedom, while others have argued that foreign tourists should
learn to abide by the rules of an Islamic country if they choose to visit.