Hi there,
i am going on the Jewels of Egypt tour beginning May 15.
I have reviewed the recent posts on the subject -Post from Gozo on April 23- Imtrav responded that "everything was A ok"- unfortunately the recent attack at the museum proved otherwise as per Joannes post of May 3.
I do understand that there are no guarantees about safety and security and that we must put these things in perspective- however it looks like it could be a new campaign to me.
Based on the fact that Imtrav feels that their cairo office is very close to events, could you please provide any more information on whether this is a new threat or group and, consequently, whether we should adjust our normal plans in any way, especially in planning how we spend our free time in Cairo- (e.g. avoid the islamic area of town ). Finally, is there any additional concerns about other parts of Egypt?
P.S. I am partly hoping to alay my mothers fears who is worried sick about me going !!
Tks very much
Re: Cairo Attacks
Dear Snacks,
I thought I would write a detailed outline of what happened in Cairo this week and also of the feedback that we have been getting from our local office, travellers and tour leaders.
According to reports in Cairo the proposed attack near the Egyptian Museum was to be carried out by a relative of the bomber who killed himself during the 7th April bombing in Cairo. It is said that this relative had helped to organise the 7th April attack. A policeman near the museum identified the bomber as behaving suspiciously; the bomber then jumped off a bridge, blowing himself up at the same time.
Less than an hour later, two women opened fire on a bus carrying Israeli tourists near the Citadel in Old Cairo. When one of the women saw the police approaching she killed herself and her accomplice. These two women were the wife (or fiance) and the sister of the bomber who died earlier in the day.
Reports in Cairo suggest that these attempted attacks and those on the 7th April were carried out by a small organisation rather than one of the larger or more established terrorist organisations. Since the latest attacks, more than 200 people have been detained from the area where this family live and the police are confident that they have apprehended the everyone involved in the network.
However, as a precaution, police presence has also been stepped up at the major tourist sites.
It therefore appears unlikely that there will be any further attacks though of course it is always impossible to state this absolutely.
It might be helpful if I report that all of our travellers currently in Egypt are continuing their tours as normal and no-one has felt that it is necessary to return home early - this perhaps gives an indication of the situation as it appears to travellers on the ground.
We also have many foreign and local tour leaders working in Egypt, all of whom continue to be very happy working out there and none of whom have voiced any concerns about continuing to run tours to the various different parts of Egypt.
I hope that this helps allay your fears. I would certainly have no qualms about travelling in Egypt at the moment and in fact we have one of our staff members due to fly to Cairo on Saturday to join a tour. She has no intention of cancelling !
I have checked and our tour leaders are not advising travellers to avoid any particular parts of Cairo. This is of course something that you could check again when you arrive in Egypt but I would say that you will be able to travel without any problems, throughout the tour.
Have a great trip !
Regards,
Liddy Pleasants
Head of Operations
THE IMAGINATIVE TRAVELLER
Re: Cairo Attacks
Dear Liddy,
your response is exactly what i was hoping for- the context of these attacks as you describe them has certainly alayed my (and my mothers!) concerns and i am thoroughly reassured!
Of course i will remain vigilant however.
I would like to thank you for taking this so seriously and providing such an informative response.
This is exactly the sort of attitude that i have come to expect from the Imaginative traveller over the last few years i have travelled with you and is the reason i come back again and again!
I am certainly looking forward to renewing my love affair with Egypt next weekend!
Kind regards
Snacks
Re: Cairo Attacks
This sound great ,and is a I thought.This is a great service and one which I will use in the future.Any info of the Nile cruise welcome,as I am going on it at the end of Oct,with my wife a and seventeen year old daughter.
Re: Cairo Attacks
Hello Jakeo,
Perhaps post a message as a forum topic requesting peoples experience on the Nile Safari. Also check out our trip dossier on the downloads page.
Have a great trip.