Egypt has drafted this month a new bill that would impose hefty fines on tourist harassers as part of the state’s efforts to attract additional tourists and heal the country’s ailing tourism industry. State television quoted Egypt’s Antiquities Minister, Khaled El-Anani, as saying at a press conference that the draft law stipulates that a tourist harasser could receive a fine ranging from LE 3,000 to LE 10,000. The parliament, however, has to approve the proposed draft bill before it become an effective law. Local hawkers of souvenirs in Egypt’s touristic sites are often seen chasing and nagging visitors at the country’s sightseeing sites to force them to buy their wares — a practice that annoys many and blemishes Egypt’s reputation abroad. “Such practices irritate tourists and send them a ghastly notion about Egypt and the Egyptian people.

Source: Egypt Independent May 29, 2017 12:11 UTC