Egypt travel advice – Avoid tummy bugs

Travel advice Egypt: The Egyptian government is to invest in educational projects aimed at mitigating the spread of tummy bugs.

The Egyptian tummy bug can be avoided easily by using travel hygiene, this will avoid the diarrhea that blights the holidays of hundreds of British tourists each year. Latest Red sea holidays.

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The cryptosporidium parasite, common in parts of North Africa, which has been seen in the UK, is found in contaminated drinking water and water used in food preparation in hotels and restaurants. It can cause stomach pain and diarrhoea.

Rasha Azaizi, deputy director of the Egyptian State Tourist Office in the UK, said the authorities in Egypt were stepping up health measures by educating staff about hygiene and introducing spot checks in tourist hot spots.

She said: “The government understands that there must be more education for workers. There will be more frequent inspections at hotels and resorts as well as mystery shoppers on Nile cruises to check that standards are being upheld.”

Visitor numbers to Egypt increased by 8% this year in spite of the credit crunch, though the rate has slowed dramatically since the 53% year-on-year boom in 2007. Last year tourism grew by 25%.

“The strength of the euro has helped, but we are targeting consistent yearly growth of 15-20% by working closely with tour operators and agents in the UK.”

Azaizi put the success down to the quality of the product available in Egypt and the strength of the euro against the pound which has deterred some British tourists from holidaying on the Continent.

“Egypt is only four and a half hours’ flight from the UK and has a diverse range of products, from beach holidays to diving, cultural tours to city breaks,” she added.