Tourists to Egypt will NOT need a visa - if they book through an agent or operator

Travellers to Egypt will not need a visa providing they book through an agent or operator, officials in Cairo have confirmed.

A spokeswoman for the Egyptian State Tourist Office has clarified proposed changes to the visa system to TTG after a week in which the trade struggled to get any firm advice.

The Egyptian government last week announced it was scrapping its visa on arrival programme, a decision UK operators believe will damage its tourism industry, which is still in recovery following the political turmoil of the last four years.

However, there should be little impact on trade bookings when the changes are introduced on May 15.

“It will only affect independent tourists and since our business from the UK is mainly through agents and operators it will not have a great impact,” the spokeswoman insisted.

The changes will mostly affect backpackers and anyone else wanting to travel independently, who must now apply for a visa in advance. They are designed to stop anyone wanting to pass through Egypt on their way to Syria wishing to join Islamic State, although Egypt is currently not thought to be a key entry point.

The rules for the Red Sea resorts remain unchanged. The UK Foreign Office currently advises that British nationals travelling to Sharm el Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba and Taba for up to 15 days can receive a free entry stamp upon arrival. Anyone intending to travel out of these areas or stay longer than 15 days must get a visa that can be purchased at Sharm el Sheikh airport.

The spokeswoman confirmed that bookings made through online bed banks would avoid the visa requirement provided clients carried documentation.

Discover Egypt director Philip Breckner said someone in the Egyptian foreign ministry had “jumped the gun” last week.

“Based on a conversation I had with the government in Cairo, it will not affect us at all. Anyone booking through a tour operator or travel agent and met by a recognised representative or ground handler at the other end will still get their visa on arrival.”

However, Egypt must contend with the effects of last week’s tourist massacre in Tunis, which will add to nervousness about travelling to North Africa.

Breckner said the killing of 23 people had not affected Egypt sales. “There was always this reticence about the whole area, but it has not impacted us in the last few days,” he said.

Kirker Holidays’ Ted Wake described Egypt business as “slow” but with exceptional client feedback.

“It’s astonishingly good value and the people are so glad to see visitors – it’s like New York after 9/11,” he said.

India by the Nile: Amitabh Bachchan excited to meet fans in Egypt

India by the Nile: Amitabh Bachchan excited to meet fans in Egypt

Amitabh Bachchan excited to meet fans in Egypt

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan is all set to fly to Egypt. He said he is looking forward to his visit for the 'India by the Nile' festival and hoped to reach out to his fans in the country during his stay.

The 72-year-old actor is the 'Guest of Honour' at this year's edition of the cultural festival and will speak about his films, particularly 'Amar Akbar Anthony' at the Opera House in Cairo on March 31 and will also be present at a gala event at the Pyramids the same day.

"... And then prepare for Egypt and Cairo for the 'India by the Nile' festival and activities, starting in a few days... Egypt was a revelation on my visit there in '90s. The enthusiasm and the love of the people was incredible and invaluable.

"It still remains presumably, and I hope that my short visit gives me ample time to reach out to my well wishers and friends," Bachchan posted on his blog.

The third edition of the festival, running from March 28 to April 17, is organised by the Embassy of India in Cairo in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Tourism, and the Cairo Opera House.

Egypt tightening visa rule for individual visitors

Egypt tightening visa rule for individual visitors

(Reuters) - Egypt is tightening rules for visas by requiring individual visitors to obtain them at embassies instead of on arrival at Egyptian airports, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday, a move that may make it harder to revive the tourism industry.

Security sources, however, said the decision arose from a need to give intelligence services more time to assess individuals who want to visit Egypt, where security has suffered from an Islamist insurgency centered in the Sinai region.

"The system remains unchanged for tourist groups which can obtain visas at airports, but individuals have to get a prior visa from embassies," Foreign Ministry spokesman Badr Abdelatty said.

The changes will take effect on May 15, said Rasha Azaizi, the tourism minister's media adviser. "The decision will have a small effect... The industry depends on the large groups brought in by tour operators," she told Reuters.

Egypt's economy has been hammered by a precipitous fall in tourist visitors and a lack of foreign investment because of protracted political upheaval since the 2011 popular uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Reviving the tourist sector is central to efforts to shore up state coffers in a country which once attracted huge numbers of visitors to ancient sites like the pyramids, Luxor and Aswan along the Nile, and Red Sea resorts.

Security sources said another reason for the change in visa rules was to put stronger controls on visits by Western human rights activists who have been highly critical of Egypt's tough crackdown on Islamists and liberal activists.

Egypt hopes to generate $20 billion in revenue from tourism by 2020 by attracting 20 million visitors, new Tourism Minister Khaled Ramy told Reuters on Sunday at an international investment conference in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.

More than 14.7 million tourists visited Egypt in 2010. That dropped to 9.8 million in 2011, rose the following year to 11.5 million but shrank back to about 10 million last year.

(Editing by Michael Georgy and Mark Heinrich)

http://www.egypt.travel/