Tourists who were due to participate in an aquatic exercise class, perform their exercises on the sand instead, at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt (Photo: Reuters)
Italy has decided to lift its travel ban on the popular Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in South Sinai, its ambassador to Cairo Maurizio Massari said on Wednesday, as reported by Al-Ahram's Arabic news website.
Italy, along with a number of European governments, had advised its nationals to evacuate the Sinai Peninsula immediately after the bombing of a tourist bus in the resort town of Taba in February which killed three South Koreans and their Egyptian bus driver.
The attack, claimed by the Sinai-based militant Islamist group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, was the first to directly target tourists since the start of a terrorist campaign against the military and police following the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last July.
At a conference held by the European Union on Wednesday, Massari said that Egypt is going through a positive phase after last month's presidential election, won by former military chief Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, adding that the most populous Arab country is a key partner in maintaining regional stability.
Earlier this week Germany also lifted its own travel warnings to Sharm El-Sheikh in response greater political stability in Egypt, said Egypt's Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou.
Italy is currently the fourth largest source of tourists to Egypt, according to Al-Ahram.
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