By Hauwa Ali
Egypt has announced its decision to shield Russia and Ukranian tourists by guaranteeing their stay until they can safely return home.
Egypt, which welcomes hundreds of thousands of Russians and Ukrainians to its Red Sea hotels each year, made the announcement on Thursday, the same day that Vladimir Putin’s Russian army launched a massive air and ground attack on Ukraine.
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The announcement was contained in Egyptian tourism ministry statement after they had met and decided that “tourists from countries where air traffic is disrupted will be allowed to stay in the hotels where they are staying in Egypt until they can safely return home”.
Many Russian and Ukrainian tourists are also used to Egypt’s huge seaside resorts, which specialise in full-board accommodation, which receive 65% of tourists visiting Egypt.
While the West has sanctioned Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, Egypt’s foreign ministry on Thursday called for “dialogue and diplomatic solutions” rather than “escalation”.
Flights from Russia to Sharm el-Sheikh and Hourghada on the Red Sea resumed in 2021, after six years of interruption, giving hope to Egypt’s tourism sector – which employs two million people and generates more than 10% of GDP.
Many airlines stopped flying to Ukraine even before the fighting began, while on Thursday flights were cancelled from airports in major cities in southern Russia, close to Ukraine.
