JAKARTA - Egypt is offering multi-year visas for the first time, adding more countries can enjoy visa-on-arrival services, the Minister of Tourism said late last month.
A five-year multiple-entry visa will be available for $700. Meanwhile, once-in-a-30-day visas upon arrival can now be obtained by visitors from more than 180 countries for 25 US dollars.
Among the new countries that have been added to the visa-on-arrival service list are China and India, said Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Issa.
The development is part of a strategy to increase tourism, an important source of foreign currency and work for the Egyptian economy that has suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.
Egypt, which successfully brought in 11.7 million tourists last year, seeks to increase this number by 25 to 30 percent every year and reach 30 million by 2028.
"The number of tourists increased by more than 30 percent in January and February, compared to the first two months of last year," said Issa.
While two prominent sources of tourists - Russia and Ukraine - fell 40 percent and 80 percent, other countries have covered the loss, respectively.
The number of tourists from countries such as the US, UK, Saudi Arabia, Germany, France, Italy and Spain continues to increase. In fact, the number of Italian tourists increased by 250 percent.
Issa said she believed Egypt would achieve its target this year of 15 million tourists, which would make it a record year.
"Even with the decline in our number one and number two tourist sources, the results show that we will be able to achieve or exceed our goals. God willing, by 2023," he explained, quoted by The National News April 15.
China has the potential to be one of the top 10 source markets for Egypt, he said. It is known, around 220,000 Chinese tourists visited Egypt, out of 150 million Chinese tourists worldwide in 2019.
Separately, Egypt will also simplify entry procedures for Turkish, Algerian, Israeli, Moroccan and Iranian citizens, with details to be announced in the coming days, he said.
The ministry also praised the country's archaeological discoveries for attracting cultural tourism. Two new statues in Saqqara were recently discovered, said Secretary-General of the Highest Council, Mostafa Waziri.
Twenty museums have opened in the last four years and the Greek-Romawi Museum in Alexandria will open in a few weeks, he added.
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Meanwhile, the long-delayed Egyptian Grand Museum, which has been under construction since 2005, is likely to open between October and January, Issa said.
It is known that the number of Egyptian tourists fell to 3.7 million in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, from around 13 million in 2019, according to state statistics agency Capmas.
The new tourism strategy led by Minister Issa, who was appointed in August in a cabinet reshuffle, covers more than double the number of hotel rooms to 300,000, increasing the number of seats on flying aircraft, investing in promotions and improving visitors' experience as a whole, with an investment of about 30 billion US dollars.
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