One month after the resumption of flights between Russia and Egypt’s Red Sea resort cities, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled al-Anany met with Russian health official Anna Popova to discuss the return of tourism amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Egypt’s Ambassador to Russia Ihab Nasr and an Egyptian delegation also attended the meeting, which took place in Moscow.
During the meeting, Anany reviewed tourism figures and highlighted Egypt’s anti-COVID precautionary measures and health safety controls that it is strictly implementing at tourist sites.
Any hotel or establishment failing to uphold these measures is immediately closed, he assured.
According to Anany, coronavirus infection rates in Egypt’s tourist governorates are almost non-existent, thanks to the weather, precautionary measures, and a 100 percent vaccination rate among tourism workers.
In order to enter Egypt, tourists must present QR-coded proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test, the latter of which can be conducted at Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh airports upon arrival.
Anany stressed the safety and convenience of Egypt’s tourist towns, noting that visitors can enjoy the country’s beaches year-round.
Popova, who is the head of the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare, stated that almost no tourists who traveled to Egypt from Russia during the last month returned and tested positive for COVID-19.
She praised the country’s precautionary measures, saying that they enhanced her country’s confidence in Egypt as a tourist destination.
A Russian committee previously visited Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada in July to inspect said measures in hotels, airports, and resorts. The feedback was positive.
Anany and Popova’s meeting is the second of its kind, as the first was held in July to discuss the upcoming return of flights.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
IMAGE: Russian tourists arriving in Hurghada
