Cairo – Egypt’s tourism had barely begun to recover from the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, which hampered the entry of foreign visitors into the country, and is already facing a new crisis: The war between Russia and Ukraine. The two nations were among the top tourists to the North African country.
The Luxor Cultural Tourism Committee chairman, Mohamed Othman, said Egypt had managed to attract Ukrainian and Russian tourists to cultural tourism; however, the ongoing war will negatively affect tourism in general.
According to Othman, the share of Ukraine and Russia in Egypt’s leisure tourism is 50%, just behind England and Italy. He said the negative impact would mainly come to single-day tourism in Luxor and Aswan, in which the two countries account for over 60% of visits.
Egyptian hotels have announced they will offer free stays of up to three days for Ukrainians. Othman said Ukraine’s diplomacy had been asked to look for alternatives for returning tourists to their country of origin via neighboring Belarus, as Ukraine’s airports are closed. According to him, Russians may also face difficulties returning to their home country because of the war.
Othman mentioned the Ministry of Tourism monitors the numbers of Russians and Ukrainians in Egyptian hotels and is negotiating the return with officials from both countries.
Health and spiritual tourism
The former head of the Tourism and Aviation Committee of Egypt’s Council of Representatives, Amr Sedky, said the country had been relying on tourism from Russia and Ukraine in recent times. But this tourism has a leisure profile, which is not considered essential for travelers as is health or spiritual tourism.
Sedky drew attention to the fact Egypt needs to develop other types of tourism, such as spiritual tourism, which grows in times of crisis, in addition to health tourism dedicated to the wounded in wars. He recalled, amid the pandemic, there was an increase in the desire of Muslims to travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to make the Umrah, the pilgrimage to the Holy Mosque in the city of Mecca.
Sedky added the total percentage of Russians and Ukrainians represented in Egypt’s tourism is not disclosed, and it is necessary to stimulate travel to Egypt in other markets, considering the continuation of the coronavirus crisis and the closure of numerous international airports.
He said rumors estimate in May, the travel market will resume, which will draw visitors from some of the countries that were important sources of tourists to Egypt before the spread of COVID-19, such as Italy, Germany, and England.
Ukrainians in Egyptian resorts
Marsa Alam Investor Association president Tarek Shalaby said over 30 planes from Ukraine, Czech Republic, Poland, and Russia were landing in Hurghada and Marsa Alam weekly until the date of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Both are major tourist cities in Egypt. In Marsa Alam, 13 planes used to land every week.
Shalaby told Ukrainians are staying at hotels in Marsa Alam, which are awaiting a decree from the Ministry of Tourism, which should be issued in cooperation with the Council of Ministers of Egypt and the Embassy of Ukraine to Egypt, to solve the issue of Ukrainian tourists stranded in the country.
According to him, the Ministry of Tourism of Egypt is negotiating with the Ukrainian government how to transport the Ukrainians or whether they will remain in the Egyptian national territory, and which authority will be responsible for their stay.
The president of the Nuweiba-Taba Investors Association, engineer Samy Suleiman, said he believes the war would not last long and expects a minimal negative impact on tourism. Nuweiba and Taba are also tourist regions in Egypt. Suleiman said Ukrainian tourism to Egypt had grown a lot lately, and the Arab country is heavily dependent on tourists from Ukraine, though, after the war, other alternatives will be sought.
Translated by Ahmed El Nagari & Elúsio Brasileiro
