It's gonna happen.

[Scottishtourist]

Have been reading today about the horrific "incident"in Sousse,Tunisia.

How on earth can anyone call it an "incident?"It's cold bloodied murder of innocent people.

Prior to this and putting Luxor back into context..we had the "incident"at Karnak.
How long before there is a major attack?IS tendrils are spreading.
I believe ex-pats will be spared.Innocent tourists will be targetted.

But..it's gonna happen,sooner or later.Sharm,Hurghada,Luxor...they're all targets.

I'm not scaremongering..have merely changed my opinion of the place.
Thomson has already pulled out until November at the earliest.

Gonna have to re-think my Sept/Oct holiday venue.
Would rather be a "live"boring "stay at home"...than a dead tourist!

But the question is..when and where?
Truly believe it's gonna happen,sooner or later.

Any opinions?

[Mad Dilys]

There is no-where "safe" in the world.

Since the beginning of recorded history even Kings and Queens have been murdered by those they thought they could trust.

Us Brits share a saying with the Egyptians - Trust in God but keep your powder dry.

In other words expect the best but be prepared for the worst.

Mind you some places are more or less safe to a greater degree than others - the trick is to know which.

[Scottishtourist]

Hi MD.

My brother recently had a five day break in Spain..Alcudia. (is that Majorca?)

When he went into travel agents..they were "pushing"Sharm and Tunisia at him.
Problem is though that his girlfriend doesn't like flying..a 3/4 hour flight is her maximum.

They had a great time,weather beautiful,hotel lovely,AI...food,drink,comfort,etc.

Luxor just can't compete anymore..and with recent reports of terrorism throughout Muslim countries..is it any wonder that people are not going there?

[Who2]

It's a bit ironic really 'blowing oneself up anywhere round Luxor these days, take for instance that prat last week, all he had left was a severe case of dandruff on his 'head & shoulders.
Message to all MB and Isis followers, "There are no tourists left in Luxor to blow up, as shown last week by your mate in Karnak.
It's far more lightly to happen down in SW19 next week, my old home....

[Robbo70]

I had a customer collect her dog early, as she had just been flown back from the very hotel of yesterdays massacre. She has always gone to places like Tunisia and Egypt and morocco etc but said today she will not be visiting anymore muslim countries. I would think an awful lot of holiday makers are going to feel the same way for now... or until ISIS start bombing Benidorm

[Scottishtourist]

It's a bit ironic really 'blowing oneself up anywhere round Luxor these days, take for instance that prat last week, all he had left was a severe case of dandruff on his 'head & shoulders.
Message to all MB and Isis followers, "There are no tourists left in Luxor to blow up, as shown last week by your mate in Karnak.
It's far more lightly to happen down in SW19 next week, my old home....

In my view Who2,Luxor is like the great big sleekit velociraptor in Jurassic Park!

All pleasant and peaceful on the surface..but take your eye off the ball for one minute...and BANG!

The place is dead,tourism has died...depressed,decrepit,and derelict.
Add to this the fear of terrorism,attacks,etc.

There is a sinister undercurrent running through the city.It's just a matter of time.
Are you immune to it because you live there?

Maybe regular tourists can "sense"this..much more than residents can.

[Who2]

When I lived in Paris I never went up the Eiffel Tower, or Florida Disneyworld, and when in Egypt I don't visit tourist hotspots.
Regular tourists 'sense very little in my book....

[Scottishtourist]

Regular tourists 'sense very little in my book....

Kinda disagree with that statement Who2.
At moment you're back in UK.You're posting on different things..changes you've noticed.Beards,hotpants,etc.

So,is it inconceivable to think that a regular tourist to Luxor won't notice changes in the place?
On my last visit,I took precautions..followed advice from members of the forum,and Egyptians I have come to know.
I didn't venture anywhere alone in the dark.I walked "with purpose"didn't amble or "dilly-dally"Also clasped my shoulder bag very firmly at all times,wore modest clothing..yet was still subject to bit of "dirty"fondling by caleche driver.

However,these incidents now are least of my worries.

If there are no tourists in Luxor to blow up or kill..then you gotta ask yourself why?
Targets now will be Sharm,Hurghada.

Purpose built resorts for tourists."Sitting Ducks!"
Why are Muslims killing us?

[newcastle]

Regular tourists 'sense very little in my book....

Kinda disagree with that statement Who2.
At moment you're back in UK.You're posting on different things..changes you've noticed.Beards,hotpants,etc.

So,is it inconceivable to think that a regular tourist to Luxor won't notice changes in the place?
On my last visit,I took precautions..followed advice from members of the forum,and Egyptians I have come to know.
I didn't venture anywhere alone in the dark.I walked "with purpose"didn't amble or "dilly-dally"Also clasped my shoulder bag very firmly at all times,wore modest clothing..yet was still subject to bit of "dirty"fondling by caleche driver.

However,these incidents now are least of my worries.

If there are no tourists in Luxor to blow up or kill..then you gotta ask yourself why?
Targets now will be Sharm,Hurghada.

Purpose built resorts for tourists."Sitting Ducks!"
Why are Muslims killing us?

Because some of them don't like us much . We're all decadent and debauched and the sooner the world reverts to 700CE the better...or so they think.

Then again you have the islamist opposition determined to bugger up the country cos they're p*ssed off with the current regime.

You should see the hoo hah on the Egyptian forums about the US granting gays the right to marry.....Sodom & Gomorrah has arrived. Not that many of them will ever get a visa to experience it

Every cloud has a silver lining. I'm thinking of popping over to Luxor for a break soon and expect to get a room for next to nowt

[Scottishtourist]

Good post newcastle..but that's the whole problem!
You won't get a "cheap"room!
You won't get any bargains!

That's Luxor's downfall.They're all sitting there thinking that their tombs and temples will ALWAYS attract tourists.That ain't the case.I went there in May.I visited nothing!Why would I when I've seen it all before?

From what I've read and watched on news about Tunisia,this gunman came onto private beach by boat.Most Hurghada,Sharm hotels have their own private beaches.
And from what I saw last time in Hurghada(circa 2014)the only bloody security any private beach had was a camel!!No policemen in sight,no security..just the usual "sleeping"policemen on every street corner.

Security in Egypt..it's a bloomin joke!

[newcastle]

Good post newcastle..but that's the whole problem!
You won't get a "cheap"room!
You won't get any bargains!

That's Luxor's downfall.They're all sitting there thinking that their tombs and temples will ALWAYS attract tourists.That ain't the case.I went there in May.I visited nothing!Why would I when I've seen it all before?

From what I've read and watched on news about Tunisia,this gunman came onto private beach by boat.Most Hurghada,Sharm hotels have their own private beaches.
And from what I saw last time in Hurghada(circa 2014)the only bloody security any private beach had was a camel!!No policemen in sight,no security..just the usual "sleeping"policemen on every street corner.

Security in Egypt..it's a bloomin joke!

Well..... they do try And it's better than Tunisia.

The reality is that the determined suicidal nutter is unstoppable......and they're everywhere.

I imagine your neck of the woods is as safe as it gets......unless you die of pneumonia

[Scottishtourist]

There was a big uproar about all this "visa"issue.People were not gonna visit if they had to get a visa from their own country,and not at airport.

So what did Egypt do?They changed their minds!

I gotta admit that security at Sheraton was good.Other hotels..basically they don't give a damn!
Anyone could walk into Gaddis.Security man just sat on his backside and allowed them to enter.No checks,nothing.Had helluva job shaking off "friend"I'd met previously!

Still convinced there's gonna be big attack somewhere in Egypt..tourists will be killed,maimed.

Cos basically..no one gives a damn about tourist security!
All those resorts in Sharm,Hurghada will just become "big white elephants."

Mark my words...it's gonna happen.

[newcastle]

Of course it's gonna happen. It already has (Karnak) but at least there were enough police around to stop a guy running amok like in Tunisia.

At the risk of stating the obvious - you can't stop and search every person entering every building in every city of the world. The terrorists would love to see us go into lock down.....but it aint gonna happen. Inevitably there will be more tragedies like Tunisia but we need to keep a sense of proportion.

It's a cliche ...but the terrorist only has to be lucky once whilst the security forces have to be successful every time.

It won't stop me from conducting my life as per usual.

[Scottishtourist]

Of course it's gonna happen. It already has (Karnak) but at least there were enough police around to stop a guy running amok like in Tunisia.
It won't stop me from conducting my life as per usual.

No,you still gotta live.
But..it will make people think twice about visiting a Muslim country.

[Angela]

I think it is just a matter of time before we see a large scale attack in the UK. Groups plotting are much easier to stop that a "lone wolf" attacker who goes it alone, albeit a Daesh sympathiser. I can see something happening in the UK like a shooting spree in a shopping mall or large hotel. I'm in the UK at the moment and was watching The Andrew Marr show with Theresa May. She was saying that lone wolf attacks are very difficult to intercept and the key way to prevent them is through families and communities dealing with family/friends who appear to be becoming radicalised and reporting them if necessary. If an individual has the desire to cause carnage and the means to obtain weapons I agree that there is little that can be done. Think Hungerford in the 80's.

As someone said I don't think anywhere is safe but some places are "safer" than others. Luxor vs London I would imagine the risk is around the same but I would imagine that a village in the UK is significantly safer than Luxor. One of the differences of being in Egypt is that as a European you stand out from the general population. I don't think there is much anyone can do except be vigilant. I agree with ST that with each act of terrorism it dampens tourists appetites for visiting a Muslim country.

A lot of people say that the terrorist attack on Tunisia wouldn't stop them visiting there or Egypt, Morocco etc. But when you delve further most of these people are familiar with these countries, visited regularly are comfortable with the culture etc. But I think it's different for the people who have never visited before and are considering whether to come for a very first visit.

[Bullet Magnet]

It's not Muslims, I keep saying that ! if ISIS were Muslim's, then why on the same day would they blow up a mosque in Dubai ?
The clues are all there if you bother to stop for a minute and think....

Now, I do infact understand Good and Evil, but for the benefit of the masses, lets put it this way,...

I cant remember who it was that told me this when I was a kid, but they said, "If the Devil were to visit earth, do you really think he would be a red skinned being, with horns, tail and holding a trident in his hand" ?

Penny dropping yet ?

[Angela]

I don't know BM if your penny dropped post was aimed at me but being that we are a Muslim family, I'm fully aware it wasn't Muslims that did it. I was saying that despite this most people will still be wary of visiting a Muslim country.

[Bullet Magnet]

No, it was a stand alone comment, nothing personal Angela... Just generalising on the whole situation.
We should keep the word "Muslim" out of anything to do with Isis, just as the press keep the world Christian out of all those loonys that shoot up Churches and Schools in America.

Oh, the Stars did fall down from the sky a long time ago for me, and how I wish the same could happen for the rest of humanity, then this world would be a much better place..
but that is not the how the game works...

Humans are such easy pray....

[Mad Dilys]

Of course Angela is well aware that these people are not Muslim - I can call myself Fred Astaire, but it won't be true..... simply ridiculous.

I agree with BM in as much as conflict has very little if anything to do with any religion, more to do with those who find a sense of power and pleasure in causing fear, chaos and the end of order. For example:

Iraq and Iran were at war for years with great loss of innocent lives, so called Muslim against Muslim - totally against the teachings of Islam.

The Irish Troubles were purported to be between Catholics and Protestants an easy label - yet neither group behaved in line with their declared "Christian" principles.

It's the same the whole world over a basically good way of living in a peaceful and co-operative way is divided by sects who still insist they are part of the original group, even though they have little in common. We even have examples of massacres by "Buddhist" monks !

What has always concerned me in the UK is that to really frighten ordinary people, terrorists will strike at small towns and villages simultaneously. People would feel that no-where was safe and indeed it's not.

It's the old story, when it happens on your doorstep you really take notice.

[Major Thom]

ST, my wife and self are in Cairns Australia, and yes you are right, we are wrong, what has Luxor got to offer any more, apart from cheap living. We went out today to get new wardrobes, of good value quality clothes. OK it's raining here at the moment, but it's still warm, dressed in shorts and tee shirts. It been 5 almost 6 years since I was last in paradise, and it's great, loads to do at night, dancing, shows, proper pubs, real coffee shops, that are clean, with clean and cushioned seats, parasols that are cleaned everyday, floors that are so clean you can eat your food from. I got mixed up today, a young man showed me the way and gave me a lift to the HD shop, I offered him. Couple of dollars and he was offended, I ended up having to apologise to him. We have an HD Big Boy for the next couple of weeks to get about on, so tomorrow, along the Captain Cook Coast Road.