The Foreign & Commonwealth Office must put customer safety first when considering its response and advice to the current troubles in Egypt, according to Multicom boss John Howell.
The managing director of the travel technology specialist wants holidaymakers to be assured their interests are being put ahead of safeguarding the interests of the market.
Howell said: “The escalation of violence on the streets of Egypt’s large cities and the increasing presence of troops in and around popular resorts such as Sharm el Sheikh highlight just how fragile the situation is.
“It is vital for the integrity of both the industry and the FCO that the right advice and appropriate level of caution is applied when assessing the risk to UK nationals travelling to Red Sea resorts.
“It’s a difficult balance to get right but is essential for maintaining the longer term confidence in the reliability of FCO advice and the best interests of the consumer.”
Multicom last month reported a slump in bookings to Egypt of almost 62% in the immediate aftermath of the recent unrest.
The company had previously reported that Sharm el Sheikh was outselling its closet rival by almost two to one with 17% of sales via Multicom’s FindandBook service in the peak post-Christmas booking period.
Howell added: “It remains to be seen what the long term impact of the current internal conflict will be but given the popularity of Red Sea resorts we would expect to see bookings return to normal once a degree of normality and stability is established in Egypt.”