As of 19th September 2013
In the news recently you will have discerned that Egypt is a nation in profound political turmoil and thus a potentially dangerous travel destination for Westerners, or anyone for that matter! Nonetheless, Egypt is a country that continues to intrigue and beguile travellers from all walks of life, so it’s truly a difficult decision to strike the land of the ancient pharaohs from the keen adventurer’s travel itinerary.
I think we can safely say that the likes of Syria is off any sane traveller’s list at the moment, but what of those countries that are not in outright war territory but periodically descend into serious political and/or civil unrest? Are we mad risk-takers if we make the decision to travel to countries that are experiencing sub-war levels of violence or terrorist attacks even if we heed advice to head to the regions that are said to be out of harm’s way?
Current Egyptian travel advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) informs us that Northern Sinai is to be avoided altogether and all but essential travel is advised for the rest of the country bar the South Sinai’s Red Sea Resorts. So, according to the authorities, while political demonstrations and civil disturbances should not necessarily deter travellers from visiting a country, these situations will obviously involve some risk and the need for curtailing destinations and activities, and more detailed and careful travel planning and vigilance while visiting. Travel to any country requires sensible consideration of such issues as whether to visit certain towns/areas and avoiding crowds and trying not to draw attention to one’s self in certain situations. With all of this in mind, the confident and careful traveller could enjoy an Egyptian vacation at the moment, albeit in a limited geographical area.
Current Egyptian FCO Travel Advice
This isn’t the first time in recent history that Egypt has reared its head as a potentially dangerous destination for travellers. In 1997, 62 tourists were gunned down near Hatshepsut’s Temple in Luxor leading to a significant initial downturn in tourist numbers to Egypt. While in 2005 the Sharm el-Sheikh bombings, which saw 88 people killed, struck at the heart of Egyptian tourism once more. Subsequent to the ‘Arab Spring’ upheaval that surged across North Africa in 2011 there was even more cause for travellers to be cautious when considering a visit to this land of great antiquities.
News links
- 1997 - Tourists massacred at Egyptian temple.
- 2005 - Sharm el-Sheikh bombings
- 2011 - Arab Spring
However, the allure of all that Egypt has to offer is still so strong, as is the tendency for bad news to be swept out of our collective consciousness in our fast information age, so that the fortunes of Egypt’s tourism have tended to regain strength despite unfortunate violence or terrorist activity. In fact, just two years after the Sharm bombings in 2007 I took my first long anticipated journey to Egypt, undertaking a bus tour around all of the major destinations with my mother-in-law in tow! A few eyebrows were raised when we mentioned to friends and family that we were headed to Egypt at that time but we were assured by our travel agent that security measures were in place and, indeed, throughout the trip our bus was escorted by armed guards and the major sites were heavily secured. And again in 2010, I was so enamoured of visions of aquamarine waters and myriad marine life of the Red Sea that I recall feeling comfortable enough to blithely make a Skype call to my mother directly from the rebuilt café on the very site of one of the major 2005 bombings.
The Egyptian government has worked tirelessly to promote Egypt as a friendly and safe destination and continues to put measures in place to ensure tourist safety. As recently as last week the Egyptian Minister of Tourism Hisham Zaazou made a YouTube plea to foreign governments to lift their travel advisory warnings. Whether these efforts will have an effect as they have in the past is yet to be seen. Tourism numbers have dropped dramatically this year and unless the political situation improves soon it may be some time before the tourism industry properly recovers. In a few short years after the disasters of 1997 and 2005 I was able to thoroughly enjoy my journeys to Egypt. The safety issues that really gripped my mind at the time were merely trying to survive as a pedestrian negotiating the truly insane traffic outside the Egyptian Antiquities Museum in Cairo and crossing my fingers that no sharks had seen or taken a liking to me while scuba-diving in the Sharm’s crystalline waters.
No one who wants to experience the true natural and human-formed wonders of the world should leave Egypt off their ultimate destinations list; however, every savvy traveller should consider the financial as well as the safety implications of their decision to travel to dangerous territories. Insurance policies, for instance, may not provide cover for any circumstances that befall travellers in a country experiencing ‘civil unrest’. And any savings that could be made on a potentially ‘cheap’ trip, where the local currency is devalued due to unrest, could be lost on having to reorganise hastily cancelled plans.
Travelling to see the wealth of historical, architectural and artistic treasures Egypt has to offer would seem to be a matter of ‘proceed at your own risk’ at the moment. A camel ride amongst the pyramids, a boat journey along the Nile, a glide through underwater worlds, and encounters with the warm and wonderful Egyptian people could constitute the trip of a lifetime for many. Experienced travellers weighing up the travel advice and proceeding in their usual sensible, cautious manner will live to tell the travel tale.
Up to date news stories:
7th October 2013 - Egypt attacks target security forcesSix hundred GB Pounds buys the following amount of Egyptian Pounds :
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