Egypt's free accommodation of stranded Ukrainian tourists sends positive message despite war's impact on tourist industry: expert

CAIRO – 13 March 2021: Egypt sent a positive and humanitarian message to the world when it hosted stranded Ukrainian tourists for free, tourism expert Ramy Fayez told Shorouk News in a Saturday report.

The Ministry of Tourism has obligated three-star hotels to accommodate the tourists and provide a full-board service, with all tourist destinations open to them without additional charges, said Ramy Fayez, board member of the Red Sea Hotel Chamber.

He added that Russian tourists still come to Egypt but in modest numbers. Russian and Ukrainian tourists coexist in the same places in Red Sea resorts but not commotions have been observed, according to Fayez, who said “there is a huge difference between governments and peoples.”

The repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict on the Egyptian tourist industry are being studied as visitors from eastern Europe decrease amid flight hiatus in some countries and fear amongst tourists to fly.

Both Russia and Ukraine were some of the biggest markets for the Egyptian tourism industry as 500,000 Ukrainian tourists and 681,000 Russian tourists visited Egypt in 2022, according to Fayez.