CAIRO – Authorities in Egypt are set to offer five-year visa to tourists in a bid to attract them as the Covid-19 restrictions have finally been lifted across the world.
Ahmed Issa, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities revealed on Monday that Egypt was offering a multiyear visa for the first time and was also adding more nationalities to visa-on-arrival eligibility.
The multi year visa is poised to attract globetrotters and will be available for $700. Moreover, a single-entry 30-day visa on arrival can now be obtained by more than 180 nationalities for $25, The National News reported.
The move comes as Russia-Ukraine war impacted the inflow of tourists to the country which boasts 1 million square kilometers of land.
Egypt is known for its history and ancient civilization and it attracted 11.7 million tourists last year with its eyes fixed on reaching the target of 30 million by 2028.
“We need just 300,000 rooms, $30 billion of investments in rooms and probably similar amounts of investments in customer experiences. Spread the word — and it is a great industry to invest in,” said Mr Issa at a talk recently.
Like every other country, the pandemic had dent a blow to the tourism sector of the country compounded by the Russia-Ukraine war as the biggest source of its tourists was Ukraine. The country merely welcomed 3.7 million tourists in 2020, down from about 13 million in 2019. The recovery started in 2021 when the country saw 8 million tourists.
The country is currently battling economic crisis but the decision makers hope to shore up the resources through tourism sector for which promotional campaigns and activities are being planned across the country.
The country offers 2,000 archaeological sites and six UNESCO world heritage sites, including tourist hotspots like the Pyramids of Giza, the Valley of the Kings in Luxor and the temples of Aswan which historians adore the most. Egypt also features coastal destinations on both the Red Sea and the Mediterranean and is liked by beach-goers.
The policy makers decry the fact that despite such attractive topography and history, the country has only been getting less than 1 per cent of the share of total tourism in the world.
