Egypt Boosting Security at Tourist Locations

Cairo: Egypt's tourism minister says the country is boosting security procedures at tourist destinations in an attempt to buoy the flagging tourism sector following three years of political turmoil.

Hisham Zaazoua outlined the new measures in an interview with the Associated Press late on Sunday. He said they include increasing the number of security cameras at hotels and tourist destinations and obliging tourism industry workers to submit to mandatory background checks.

Speaking at an international conference on tourism safety on Sunday, he also said Egypt is bolstering airport security and implementing a comprehensive system for monitoring heath standards in hotels.

According to the Tourism Ministry, only 9.5 million visitors came to Egypt in 2013, compared with over 14 million in 2010.