Tourists vacate Egypt after Russian plane crash
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — Tourism bookings in Egypt's main Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh have plunged in the wake of a Russian plane crash, officials said Wednesday, amid fears the airliner may have been downed by a bomb.
Battered by years of political turmoil, Egypt's vital tourism sector has been almost completely dependent on Russian and European tourists visiting Sharm el-Sheikh and other Red Sea resorts.
Eastern European visitors, including people from former Soviet satellite states like Ukraine, made up 45 percent of all tourist arrivals in June.
The Metrojet Airbus A321 crashed in the Sinai Peninsula shortly after takeoff from Sharm el-Sheikh en route to St. Petersburg.