Campaign to draw Italian tourists via online visa system to kick off in May

CAIRO – 27 April 2017: Citizens of countries that are not able to obtain an Egyptian visa upon arrival at ports of entry will be able to apply for one online beginning in May, according to Tourism Minister Yehia Rashed.

The announcement comes as part of Egyptian efforts to lure Italian tourists back to its resorts, he said on Monday, adding that a promotional campaign to encourage tourism from Italy will launch in two weeks.

The number of Italian tourists visiting Egypt dropped significantly last year after the body of Italian PhD student Giulio Regeni was found along the Cairo-Alexandria highway in February 2016. Speculation over Regeni’s death has affected Egyptian-Italian relations on various levels, including tourism.

Egypt is also courting Arab tourists, and foreigners who have residence in Arab Gulf states will be able to obtain visas at Egyptian airports starting next month, Rashed told reporters on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai.

Official approval to issue visas for visitors from North Africa upon arrival will also be announced within days, he added, to increase tourism from other Arab countries.

A campaign to promote Arab tourism in Egypt will kick off during the month of Ramadan in anticipation of high tourist turnout in the summer.

Rashed said his Bahraini counterpart requested direct flights from Manama to Sharm el-Sheikh and Gulf travel companies have asked for travel programs to spend the holy month in Egypt.