Luxor - Egyptians working in tourism are in a state of anxiety and fear for the future of the industry in Egypt, following the transfer of kidnapped tourists and their Egyptian companions to Libya.

The abduction "is considered a major threat to the industry, and it will affect the inflow of foreigners to the country," said Egyptian tourism expert Lotfi al-Sebaei.

Al-Sebaei said that the kidnapping "threatens the country's stability and shakes the international confidence in our security system," and he suggested adopting a new strategy to combat such incidents.

"Securing people is the responsibility of everybody, including travel companies," al-Sebaei said, refusing to blame security forces.

Eleven tourists - five Germans, five Italians and one Romanian - and eight Egyptian travel company staff were kidnapped by a gang of masked men on September 19 while on a safari in Egypt's Gilf Kebir region in the Western Desert.

Reports emerged that the kidnappers were seeking a ransom of 6 million euros (8.8 million dollars). Negotiations have been undertaken with the kidnappers by the Germany government on behalf of all three countries of origin of the tourists.

Another Egyptian expert, Mohammed Gameel, said that "every citizen should bear responsibility" to face such incidents.

"It has become necessary to establish a fund in all Egyptian tourist attraction cities, to help those negatively affected by similar incidents," Gameel said.

However, Gameel insisted, "Tourism never dies."

The head of the tourism council in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor, famed for its pharaonic temples, said that the Egyptian government should speed up its efforts to resolve the situation.

"The Egyptian government is taking slow steps despite the seriousness of the issue," Ahmed Abbas was quoted in media reports as saying. "The issue affects Egypt's safety reputation." (dpa)