Egypt’s seaside resorts to buzz from today, as international flights resume

Egypt has announced it will reopen its seaside resorts from today. The areas opening up are southern Sinai, where the resorts of Sharm el-Sheikh and Dahab are located, Red Sea province, home to the Hurghada and Marsa Alam resorts, and Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean.

The cabinet has said that international flights will be allowed to enter the country from July 1, while foreign tourists will be permitted at the resorts least affected by Covid-19. Tourists coming to Egypt will now be required to submit a valid health insurance policy to Egyptian airport authorities as part of measures to limit the coronavirus spread.

EgyptAir has announced they will resume flights from the following destinations – Abu Dhabi, Addis Ababa, Amsterdam, Athens, Baghdad, Beirut, Berlin, Brussels, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dar es Salaam, Dubai, Erbil, Frankfurt, Geneva, Guangzhou, Istanbul, London, Milan, Munich, New York, Paris, Rome, Sharjah, Toronto, Vienna and Washington.

The government suspended passenger flights back in March, while all hotels, restaurants and cafes were closed and a night curfew imposed. These measures are currently being relaxed, with hotels that meet certain requirements, such as having a clinic with a resident doctor on site, being granted permission to reopen for domestic visitors at a reduced capacity.

Tourism brings in around $1 billion in revenue for Egypt each month, so the impact of the border closures caused by the pandemic has been significant.

The pandemic has shut down Egypt’s tourist sector, which the government says accounts for 5% of its GDP. Experts believe the figure may be as high as 15% if indirect jobs and spending and investment are included.

Egypt, a country linking northeast Africa with the Middle East, dates back to the time of the pharaohs. Millennia-old monuments sit along the fertile Nile River Valley, including the Giza’s colossal Pyramids and Great Sphinx. Then there is Luxor’s hieroglyph-lined Karnak Temple and Valley of the Kings tombs.