Egypt has been and remains the most budgetary country for recreation. The most ancient history, always a warm sea, wonderful sandy beaches, many natural and cultural attractions, a decent level of service - all this made the North African state attractive in the eyes of the Russian tourist.
To this should be added the opportunity to relax in Egypt in the winter and a relatively short flight (compared to the Caribbean or Southeast Asia). But unfortunately, the terrorist attack in October 2015 aboard the liner that operated the flight Sharm El Sheikh - St. Petersburg, contributed to the closure of this tourist destination.
The Government of the Russian Federation argued that the charter could not fly to Egyptian airports because there was not a high enough level of security. Nevertheless, many lovers of the Red Sea and the ancient pyramids were waiting with hope for the lifting of the “blockade”.
What is the state of affairs for the summer of 2018? Is Egypt open for Russian tourists now? This will tell our article.
How Egyptian fans relaxed over the past two years
The tourism industry plays a huge role in the economy of this North African country. Therefore, the Russian government predicted that Egypt would suffer enormous losses due to the Russian blockade of local resorts.
But as it turned out, a good place is not empty for a long time. Egyptian resorts slightly reduced the cost of living, which attracted a huge influx of tourists from Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Kazakhstan and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
Of course, until the fall of 2015, 3 million Russians vacationed in the country annually. And this amount could not be made up by tourists from other countries. But many Russians, not interested in whether the entry into Egypt is open for tourists from the Russian Federation, themselves began to make their way to the coveted beaches of Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh.
They traveled to them through Belarus and Ukraine. It was also beneficial because tours to Egypt there are cheaper than in Russia before the blockade. The transfer through Minsk was especially well established. Belarusian travel agencies developed a package of services, which included a train from Moscow, a hotel and transfer to the airport.
Cons of such a scheme
However, traveling to Egypt through Belarus or Ukraine had its drawbacks. Firstly, this option was not beneficial for all Russians, but only for residents of the western regions of the Russian Federation. Secondly, political tension with Ukraine frightened tourists from traveling through this country. Thirdly, many Russians mistakenly believed that they would be subject to administrative or even criminal penalties for traveling to Egypt.
That is why the tourist flow from Russia to this country has narrowed from three million to 75 thousand a year. Other lovers of beaches quickly reoriented to other areas.
In the summer, Turkey became the favorite vacation spot for Russians, and in winter, Vietnam (Nha Trang) or China (Hainan Island) took the place of Egypt. Nevertheless, Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh did not remain in oblivion. Many Russians are still looking for the answer to the question of whether Egypt is open to tourists.
Security threat
It should be said that Russian citizens were not banned from entering this country. The blockade concerned only charter flights to Egypt. The regular flight Moscow - Cairo was also canceled.
As a result, Russian travel agencies were forced to refuse to sell permits in this direction. The Russian government claimed that passenger safety was at stake. Indeed, in 2015, a bomb was carried aboard the liner at the Sharm el-Sheikh airport.
To prevent the tragedy from happening again, the Russian government demanded that Egypt strengthen security in its air harbors. But which state of the world today is ready to give a one hundred percent guarantee that a terrorist act will not occur on its territory? After all, the Moscow metro also continues to carry passengers.
But the Egyptian authorities have done a lot and continue to do everything possible to strengthen security at their airports. Citizens of other countries fearlessly go to the beaches of Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada. But was Egypt open for tourists from Russia?
Big politics
Experts say that the rhetoric about the safety of their citizens hides the fact that the Russian government is trying to "push" its interests. So, in November 2017, Dmitry Medvedev signed an agreement on the use of Egyptian air bases.
This will allow Russia to strengthen its presence in the Syrian conflict. Also, the Russian government managed to get several preferences. In particular, Egypt promised to buy 50 SSJ-100 and MiG-29 aircraft. Now negotiated the opportunity to sell ship helicopters Ka-52K.
It turns out that the answer to the question of whether Egypt will be open to Russian tourists depends on whether or not the signing of a contract for the supply of wheat and chicken from Russia is broken. Moscow also insists on the introduction of the Mir payment system in an African country.
They even talk about the situation with matches at the World Cup-18. Allegedly, Moscow promised to open the beaches of the Red Sea to its tourists if the ARE team loses to the Russian team. But as it often happens, such information is nothing more than rumors.
Is Egypt open for tourists now?
On the eve of the summer of 2018, the Russian media happily reported that resorts in the North African country became available after a two-year blockade. The Inspectorate of the Russian Federation found the Cairo airport quite safe for Russian tourists.
Thus, the flight removed from the schedule from Moscow was launched again in February. It seems to be getting better. In addition to Aeroflot, flights on the Moscow-Cairo route were promised to be operated three times a week by the airline "Egypt Air".
We can say that air communication between Russia and Egypt has been restored. But how will this affect the tourist flow? Will it increase to the previous three million people annually? Let's see what a tour to Egypt from Russia looks like now.
Airplane + Bus
Fans of the Red Sea and the pyramids, who almost every month were interested in whether Egypt was open for tourists, can rejoice: Russian travel agencies were allowed to sell permits to this country. But there is a fly in the ointment in this barrel of honey.
It consists in the fact that only the capital's airport was considered safe inspection from the Russian Federation. Therefore, all aircraft must arrive in Cairo.
If you are going to relax in the capital, then such a tour (with accommodation in a three-star hotel with "all inclusive") will cost you 35-40 thousand rubles. But in the case when your goal is Hurghada or Sharm el-Sheikh, the cost of the permit will increase by another 15 thousand rubles.
For this money you will be taken by a caravan of escorted buses to resorts. On the way you will have to spend five (to Hurghada) or six (to South Sinai) hours.
You can fly to the resorts of the Red Sea and the domestic airlines of Egypt. But then the cost of the ticket will increase even more - up to 55-60 thousand rubles.
Assessment of experts of the tourism market
The resumption of air links between Moscow and Cairo can be called the beginning of the opening of Egypt for Russian vacationers. But if the situation remains at the same level, that is, if only the capital's airport will accept all the liners from the Russian Federation, there is no need to talk about any three million visitors a year.
Only an ardent fan of Egypt will make such sacrifices to shake “on the crossroads” and get to the beaches for about 10 hours. The price of 35-40 thousand rubles can suit only those who are going to relax in the summer at the Mediterranean resorts of Egypt, near Alexandria.
Experts say that many of the three million who came to the country every year until 2015 are tired of checking whether Egypt is open for tourists and are reoriented to other countries, in particular Turkey and Vietnam. And the direction that has become a favorite is not so easy to change.
Even if Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh again become available, the flow of people wishing to visit these resorts will not resume to the previous level.
Further perspectives
By and large, the APE government doesn’t care whether the authorities of the Russian Federation have opened Egypt to tourists from Russia or not. Having slightly reduced the cost of living in hotels, they ensured that they were almost completely filled. The place of Russians was taken by Ukrainians, Germans, French and a huge number of Chinese. That is, tourists from the Russian Federation in Egypt have already begun to slowly forget, and even big politics is unlikely to change this situation soon. In addition, due to the authorities' concern for the domestic manufacturer, the ban on flights in the ARE is also beneficial for Russian resorts. After all, this can become the reason for their greater content.
Consequently, the beaches of Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh will continue to be inaccessible for vacationers from the Russian Federation.
Summer - fall 2018: have Egypt opened for tourists?
So, we can formally say that the ban on selling permits in the APE has been canceled. But practically such a lifting of the blockade did not change anything.
Tourists who are accustomed to landing an hour away from the resort on cheap charters are unlikely to agree to shake about seven hours on buses from Cairo, while overpaying almost one and a half times the previous cost of the ticket.
Therefore, so far the situation remains the same. Residents of the western regions of the Russian Federation buy cheap tours to Egypt in Ukraine or Belarus, and the population of the Urals and Siberia masters the resorts of Vietnam, China and Thailand.