Safety for North American visitors burning issue in Egypt
Travelers are wondering: how safe it is now to visit Egypt and what about the future?
So far, protests have stayed far away from popular tourism sites just outside of Cairo — such as the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx — but travel operators have virtually cancelled all trips.
The answer about traveling there now is simple: The US State Department has joined other countries in issuing a travel alert urging travelers to defer any non-essential travel to Egypt. In other words, skip it until conditions are safer.
Massive migrations of tourists and even nationals are underway but there are other implications, particularly for tour groups:
—Ritz Tours was among those announcing they were cancelling February group departures for Egypt, citing “client safety” as their number one priority. “Clients will not be assessed any penalties and will be refunded their full tour fare (less entry visa),” said Martin Chan, president.
—River cruising on the Nile ground to a halt as the crisis deepened. Among river cruise lines and tour operators suspending operations on the waterway are Egypt tour giant Abercrombie & Kent, Uniworld, Avalon Waterways, Grand Circle Travel and Gate 1 Travel.
—The USTOA (United States Tour Operators Association) advises travelers planning an Egypt trip to check with their individual company, tour operator, or travel agent regarding future travel arrangements, as policies on rebooking are up to each individual company, and vary by company.
—Most tour companies are allowing travelers to reschedule their trips for a future date without penalties, issuing credits for future travel, offering clients alternate destinations, or refunding payments. Other companies are working with their clients on an individual basis.
—Some guests at the popular Red Sea diving resorts along the Sinai coast reported their hotels barricaded after they returned. A BBC reporter says the mood of the resort has dramatically changed because of such incidents.
—Travel giant Thomas Cook, a popular tourism operator in Britain, canceled all of its excursions to Cairo as a precautionary measure.
As for the future, tourism is an important element in Egypt’s overall economy. Past isolated terrorist incidents offer little comparison to today’s upheaval because the situation now is more widespread, so experts say travelers can only await the outcome and hope for stabilization in the near future.
By David Wilkening
David
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