Egypt Opens Doors

To revitalize battered tourism sector, Egypt allows foreign tourists in

- Muhammad Mansour

Many people who work in Egypt’s battered tourism sector have let out a sigh of relief as the government reopened three key tourist resorts overlooking the Red Sea and the Mediterranean in June, allowing international and domestic flights as well as hotels and tourism-related activities to fully operate after almost four months of complete closure due to COVID-19.

The move came after the government lifted a partial nighttime curfew on June 27 imposed in the country since the beginning of the COVID-19 eruption more than four months ago, reopening restaurants, cafes, theaters and cinemas with a 25-percent limit on their capacity. For three months, Ali Moussa, a 37-year-old tour guide, never left his home in Cairo, not only because he feared the pandemic and wanted to adhere to the lockdown and curfew laws, but also out of the necessity to cut expenses, especially after he was laid off and his savings ran out.

Opening the door for tourists has given Moussa hope, but he still has reservations about resuming tour guide activities. He said one simple failure in the system, a law violation, or random infection could lead to wider spreading of the disease and have even more adverse effects on the tourism industry. “[However] I am still hopeful that taking an initiative to revitalize the sector is better than giving up to a deep sense of helplessness,” Moussa said.

As of July 13, Egypt had recorded 81,158 cases and 3,769 deaths, according to WHO statistics.

Tourism lifeline

Egypt, with a population of 100 million, is clearly feeling the economic impact of the pandemic to the point where the International Monetary Fund recently approved the country’s request for emergency financial assistance of $2.772 billion to meet the urgent balance of payments needed as a result of the pandemic.