Foreign tourists abandon Egypt

Few countries in the world can rival Egypt for its remarkable geography and wondrous monuments, including of course the pyramid fields from Giza to Dahshur, a world heritage site since 1997. While in years past this made Egypt one of the most visited countries in the world (14 million foreign tourists came in 2010 alone), the violence and unrest has taken its toll, despite the best efforts of the country's strongman president, Mr. Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, to crack down on opposition.

With the exodus of Russian tourists following the explosion on a Moscow-bound passenger aeroplane in October 2015 foreign tourists have all but disappeared. Cited by the Nikkei Asian Review, one trinket seller in the vicinity of the Giza pyramids lamented: "I've been doing business here for 15 years and now is the worst. It's really difficult to make a living."

Unfortunately, given the authorities' continuing campaign against Islamic militants within Egypt as well the seemingly endless strife in nearby countries, whether Syria, Iraq or Libya, prospects for the Egyptian tourism industry remain grim for the foreseeable future.