Fight against Coronavirus, Egypt reopens to tourism
2020-05-08T17:06:44.145Z
At the end of ramadan there are just over two weeks left. And, for the first time, the Covid19 emergency forces Egyptians to celebrate it with closed mosques and a series of restrictions on public activities that are heavily marking the country's social life and economy. Tourism has stopped since the end of March, one of the most important resources. The beaches of Sharm el Sheik, Marsa Alam and Hurgada are empty, the archaeological sites of Giza, Luxor, Saqquara and the Valley of the Kings are semi-deserted. The museums are closed. It is the most difficult moment, which recalls the profound crisis following the 2011 revolution and a long season of terrorist attacks against churches and mosques. In fact, this emergency promises another hard step backwards for the cultural and holiday industry, which risks canceling the record numbers of the last two years, which had led to 13.6 million visitors in 2019, with revenues of 12.6 billions of dollars, the highest figure ever. A sector that is worth 12% of the country's GDP, strategic enough to push the government to decide to start it again, despite the pandemic. The government allows the structures to reopen, for the time being, internal tourism, as long as they comply with a series of health regulations against the spread of the virus, which today has about 8000 infected and 500 dead, on a population close to 100 million of people. The hotels can already open by welcoming guests to 25% of the accommodation capacity, a limit that in June will be raised to 50%. However, they have an obligation to set up an internal area in which to isolate affected or suspected Covid customers, followed by a dedicated internal doctor. Social distancing measures must be taken in the common areas, at the restaurant and on the beaches. Sanitization must take place several times a day, in the common areas every hour. Animation, parties, shows and any other activity that may generate gatherings are prohibited. It will be a "certificate of suitability", issued by the Ministry of Health, to certify compliance with the new rules and allow for reopening. Still rumors without official findings, they say that Egypt is considering the reopening of its airports as early as June, in the hope of reactivating a flow of foreign visitors, albeit minimal. This plan, however, will have to deal with the situation of international air connections, substantially paralyzed by the Covid emergency19. In any case, the government is planning extraordinary measures for the management of stopovers, aimed at avoiding gatherings and ensuring social distancing between travelers, and the introduction of health precautions necessary to obtain entry into the country. In recent weeks, the government has decided on a series of measures to prevent the collapse of tourism businesses: frozen bank debts, property taxes, electricity, water and gas bills, provided that there were no layoffs. Rents for activities that manage bars, bazaars and other services in archaeological areas are also suspended. The Central Bank has made tourism funding of € 3 billion available to guarantee wages. Waiting for the emergency to go out, Egypt does not give up on keeping the interest of fans alive, with an online campaign entitled "Experience Egypt from Home". One click is enough to participate, of course, in guided tours of the most famous archaeological sites and museums in the country.
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by Leonardo Sgura 08 May 2020At the end of Ramadan there are just over two weeks left. And, for the first time, the Covid19 emergency forces Egyptians to celebrate it with closed mosques and a series of restrictions on public activities that are heavily marking the country's social life and economy. Tourism has stopped since the end of March, one of the most important resources. The beaches of Sharm el Sheik, Marsa Alam and Hurgada are empty, the archaeological sites of Giza, Luxor, Saqquara and the Valley of the Kings are semi-deserted. The museums are closed. It is the most difficult moment, which recalls the profound crisis following the 2011 revolution and a long season of terrorist attacks against churches and mosques. In fact, this emergency promises another hard step backwards for the cultural and holiday industry, which risks canceling the record numbers of the last two years, which had led to 13.6 million visitors in 2019, with revenues of 12.6 billions of dollars, the highest figure ever. A sector that is worth 12% of the country's GDP, strategic enough to push the government to decide to start it again, despite the pandemic. The government allows the structures to reopen, for the time being, internal tourism, provided that they comply with a series of health regulations against the spread of the virus, which today has about 8000 infected and 500 dead, on a population close to 100 million of people. The hotels can already open by welcoming guests to 25% of the accommodation capacity, a limit that in June will be raised to 50%. However, they have an obligation to set up an internal area in which to isolate affected or suspected Covid customers, followed by a dedicated internal doctor. Social distancing measures must be taken in the common areas, at the restaurant and on the beaches. Sanitization must take place several times a day, in the common areas every hour. Animation, parties, shows and any other activity that may generate gatherings are prohibited. It will be a "certificate of suitability", issued by the Ministry of Health, to certify compliance with the new rules and allow for reopening. Still rumors without official findings, they say that Egypt is considering the reopening of its airports already in June, in the hope of reactivating a flow, even if minimal, of foreign visitors. This plan, however, will have to deal with the situation of international air connections, substantially paralyzed by the Covid emergency19. In any case, the government is planning extraordinary measures for the management of stopovers, aimed at avoiding gatherings and ensuring social distancing between travelers, and the introduction of health precautions necessary to obtain entry into the country. In recent weeks, the government has decided on a series of measures to prevent the collapse of tourism businesses: frozen bank debts, property taxes, electricity, water and gas bills, provided that there were no layoffs. Rents for activities that manage bars, bazaars and other services in archaeological areas are also suspended. The Central Bank has made tourism funding of € 3 billion available to guarantee wages. Waiting for the emergency to go away, Egypt does not give up on keeping the interest of fans alive, with an online campaign entitled "Experience Egypt from Home". One click is enough to participate, of course, in guided tours of the most famous archaeological sites and museums in the country.
