Travelers may soon be eligible to enter Egypt without being required to pay for a visa, after the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has unfolded plans to introduce free visas for travelers.
The same said that the decision will become effective from the beginning of May to the end of October this year.
However, tourists will be subject to several conditions in order to benefit from the recently announced changes, VisaGuide.World reports.
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy said that among the conditions is that their planes must land at international airports in Luxor or Aswan.
This decision aims to encourage tourists to visit Luxor and Aswan during the summer when the number of visitors to this region decreases due to high temperatures. It is part of the government’s plan to stimulate cultural and archaeological tourism in Upper Egypt.
The head of the Cultural Tourism Marketing Committee in Luxor, Mohamed Othman, also stressed that all tourists traveling to any of these two airports would be excluded from the visa fee, which is currently applied.
At present, all those interested in entering Egypt are required to obtain a visa either upon their arrival or before departure, electronically. The cost of a 30-day tourist visa is £20 per person. Travelers interested in the Sinai Peninsula are excluded from this fee.
15.7 Million Tourists Welcomed in 2024, Marking a New Record
Each year, Egypt opens its doors to a large number of tourists from other countries.
In 2024 alone, a total of 15.7 million visitors traveled to Egypt, accounting for a new record, based on the figures provided by the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathy.
The Minister revealed that last year’s statistics surpassed those registered in 2023, in which year, 14.9 million visitors traveled to Egypt.
What tourism has achieved in Egypt, despite the geopolitical situation in the region and the changes in the world in general, came as a result of a collective effort that we should all be proud of and preserve.
According to the figures provided by the Ministry, the majority of foreign visitors came from European countries, or more specifically from Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, Italy, Czechia and France.
In the first half of 2024, revenues from the tourism industry reached a total of $6.6 billion, accounting for an increase from $6.3 billion registered in 2023, as well as $5.6 billion registered in 2010.