In Egypt,the tourism industry has been impacted drastically by the country’s political turmoil since the January 2011 revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak. CCTV’s Adel el Mahrouky reports from North Sinai, Al-areesh.

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Egypt’s tourism industry hurt by violence

In Egypt,the tourism industry has been impacted drastically by the country's political turmoil since the January 2011 revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak. CCTV’s Adel el Mahrouky reports from North Sinai, Al-areesh.

The country’s instability after the toppling of Hosni Mubarak in 2011 has driven away most foreigners from Egypt. Hotspots in the Sinai like Al-areesh, situated far away from the capital, were still seeing some tourists.

The breaking point was the ousting of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi. A war was unleashed between extremists based in North Sinai and Security forces in the cities surrounding Alareesh. Workers are paying the price for the instability in neighboring villages.

Tourism accounts for about 10 percent of the Egyptian economy. While leisure travel to the mainland, especially the southern city of Luxor, has dropped dramatically since the start of the Arab spring, bookings from abroad to Sharm el-Sheikh and other seaside resorts have dipped too. Egypt is also often a starting point for people exploring Jordan and parts of Northern Africa.The violence has affected tourism in neighbouring countries too.