Due to the escalating tensions in the southern Red Sea around Yemen and the war between Israel and Gaza, travel advisories for Egypt have been updated. Find out what restrictions are in place now and whether it is safe to go on vacation

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Tourism in Egypt has been severely affected by the conflict in the Middle East. Currently, most tourist locations on the Red Sea coast are empty, as are hotels. However, recent events have led to even stricter restrictions.

Thus, the British Foreign Office has updated its travel advisory for Egypt. They are primarily related to the tense situation in the southern part of the Red Sea around Yemen and the war between Israel and Gaza.

The article below explains whether it is safe for tourists to travel to Egypt and which areas remain "green" for visitors.

To find out if it is safe to travel to other regions of the Middle East, follow the link.

Is it possible to travel to Egypt in 2024?

As of now, military operations are being carried out in response to Houthi attempts to obstruct international shipping and have a limited area of operation. They are concentrated in the Red Sea and Yemen.

However, the agency emphasizes that the situation can change at any time.

"Although the area of operation is limited to the Red Sea and Yemen, there is a possibility that travel advisories to neighboring countries may change in the short term," the Foreign Ministry's website says.

At the same time, no travel is recommended:

– Northern Sinai Governorate;

– the northern part of the governorate of South Sinai;

– along the St. Catherine-Nuweibaa road;

– Ismailia Governorate east of the Suez Canal;

– to the regions west of the Nile Valley and the Nile Delta.

Tourists are also advised to avoid traveling within 20 kilometers of the Egyptian-Libyan border, with the exception of the city of El Salloum. 

Photo: British Foreign Office (www.gov.uk)

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Which regions of Egypt remain safe?

According to the information published on the Ministry's website, most of the well-known tourist locations remain safe for tourists. They are marked in green on the map and are therefore a conditional "green zone". Yes, tourists can visit:

– Luxor, Qina, Aswan, Abu Simbel, and the Valley of the Kings;

– the governorate of Fayoum;

– the coastal areas between the Nile Delta and Marsa Matruh;

– Marsa Matruh-Siwa road;

– the oasis city of Siwa;

– Giza Governorate northeast of Bahariya Oasis;

– the road between Giza and Farafra (it is not recommended to travel on the road between Bahariya and Siwa);

– Bahariya Oasis, Farafra, White and Black Deserts;

– Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada and Cairo.

Traveling to countries where hostilities are taking place: security measures

Traveling to regions where active hostilities are concentrated is associated with a number of risks for tourists, and therefore ordinary travel insurance policies do not apply in such cases. The solution to this is medical insurance with military risk coverage, but there are few companies in the world that offer such insurance policies.

If you are planning to travel to safe regions of Ukraine, we strongly recommend purchasing insurance that covers war-related risks. You can apply for such insurance on the Visit Ukraine website. Read more about how to get insurance in Ukraine here.

Wу remind you! The British Foreign Office has officially authorized visits to several regions of Ukraine. Read about these regions and whether it is safe to travel to Ukraine now in our previous article.

Want to know more? Read the latest news and useful materials about Ukraine and the world in the News section.

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