Cairo, Egypt: Continuous protests in Egypt increases travel concerns

Some countries have updated their travel advisories for Egypt after advising tourists against travelling to the country of pyramids for longer durations. More than 2,300 people were arrested following a series of anti-government protests in September and now the government of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is cracking down on those who would defend them. These protests are impacting Egypt’s tourism, since the Cairo International Airport is the 2nd busiest airport in Africa, servicing about 15 million tourists annually.

UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) updated its Travel Advisory for Egypt saying they no longer advise against all but essential travel by air to/from Sharm el-Sheikh, which is an Egyptian resort town between the desert of the Sinai Peninsula and the Red Sea. In the updated Travel Advisory, the UK’s FCO continues to advise against ‘all’ travel to the Governorate of North Sinai. The US Department of State updated its Level 2 Travel Advisory as well.