Are you going to Egypt on holiday? Be aware of the latest hostage taking in the Dahab area

Two tourists, an Israeli man and a Norwegian woman, were abducted on Friday 22nd March by armed men in the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. South Sinai's Red Sea coast is a major tourism hub for all nationalities.The tourists were seized while traveling between Taba and Dahab in the south of the peninsula. Dahab is a popular seaside resort known for its keen divers, windsurfers and kite surfers.

Even though security in the desert region had deteriorated since the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak two years ago, no one has been recently abducted in this area and it was thought that the local situation was possibly improving,

Egyptian Bedouins have now pressed for the release of captive tribesmen, whom they say have been sentenced unfairly on charges ranging from terrorism to drug dealing and people trafficking across the border into Israel.

The abductions in the past have been used as bargaining tools in achieving their goals, as well as some being used simply for monetary gain, i.e., ransom.

On the upside for tourism, such hostage takings in the Sinai are usually resolved quickly and the hostages are normally unharmed.

Contact RPS Partnership for security information and how to have a safe holiday in this region.