In wake of crash, Egypt opens tombs to spur tourist interest

The cause of Saturday's crash of a Metrojet flight packed with Russian vacationers returning home from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh is under investigation, but the Islamic State extremist group has claimed responsibility and British Prime Minister David Cameron said it was "more likely than not" that a bomb brought down the flight.

Tourism, a key foreign currency earner for Egypt's economy, is making a gradual recovery after years of political upheaval, but the future would be grim if it's proven that an Islamic State bomb indeed brought down the Russian passenger plane.

The army is already fighting in a northern corner of Sinai Islamic militants who in recent months claimed allegiance to the Islamic State group, but such a revelation would undermine its claims that it has the insurgency under control and that Egypt is safe for tourists.