Chairman of the All-Ukrainian Association of Tour Operators Ihor Holubakha is convinced that in coming week "the Egypt direction will ebb."

"Why Russia introduced a ban on the sale of tours to Egypt and we did not do this? It's likely that officials from the State Agency for Tourism and Resorts cannot assess the risks. They believe that the ultimate moment has not come. In contrast to Russia, the Ukrainian economy is more oriented to the market and we cannot ban sales with a wave of the hand. This is not a process of overnight, but it is going on. The charter program to Egypt is being gradually reduced. People cancel their tours and are trying to return money. Scandals occur. I think that in coming week the Egypt direction will ebb," Holubakha told the Komsomolskaya Pravda v Ukraine newspaper.

The situation in Egypt escalated on August 14 after Egyptian police officers started dispersing demonstrators in Cairo who supported ousted President Mohammed Mursi and dismantling their camps.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has advised Ukrainian citizens to refrain from traveling to Egypt without urgent necessity due to the introduction of a state of emergency and the deteriorating security situation in the country.

Ukrainian citizens who are currently in Egypt were advised to avoid visiting populated areas, making illegal photo and video, participating in protest rallies.

According to information of the Association of Leaders of the Tourist Business of Ukraine (ALTU), tour operators jointly with airlines and hoteliers are discussing the payment of compensations to tourists who bought tours to Egypt and have doubts on their trips.

ALTU said, referring to assessments of experts, as of August 15, 2013 around 10,000 tourists from Ukraine were staying in Egypt, and 70% of them are to return to Ukraine within the coming week.

According to the information of Egyptian partners of Ukrainian tour operators, at present, the situation at resorts and hotels in Egypt where Ukrainian tourists are staying remains stable.