Holding Mubarak’s trial in Cairo will be good for tourism, says minister

Tourism Minister Mounir Fakhri Abdel Nour said on Thursday that holding the trial of deposed President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo and not in Sharm el-Sheikh would be good for tourism, as tourists were afraid to come to the Red Sea resort so long as Mubarak remained there.

“Tourism should not be affected by the political changes in the country,” the minister said. “This is what we try to assure tourists of.”

Sami Mahmoud of the Tourism Promotion Authority, meanwhile, said that the coverage of the trial by international news agencies would also help tourism.