Clocking in just under 15 million international arrivals in 2023, Egypt is by far the most popular African country in tourism.
In advance of the winter sun-seeking season, London-based low-cost airline easyJet (EJTTF) launched a new route to Luxor International Airport (LXR) on the southern edge of the Nile River. The United States jumped from ninth to eighth place as the country from which the largest number of visitors came after an additional half-million Americans visited Egypt in 2023 compared to the previous year.
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But with war either ongoing or on the brink of breaking out in multiple regions of the Middle East, the State Department upped its travel advisory for the country that many love to visit for sandy beaches and ancient pyramids.
State Department: ‘Extremists continue to express interest in plotting attacks’
Using its four-tier system, which ranges from “exercise normal precautions” to “avoid all travel,” the government agency responsible for the safety of citizens abroad raised its travel advisory to Level Three’s “reconsider travel” amid an increased risk of terrorism.
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“Extremists continue to express interest in plotting attacks in Egypt against religious sites, government entities, and diplomatic facilities,” the updated advisory reads. “While Egyptian authorities largely conduct effective security oversight, terrorists may attack with little or no warning and have targeted diplomatic facilities, tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, western businesses, restaurants, resorts, and local government facilities.”
As is standard when such updates are made, the State Department warns that it may have “limited ability to assist” tourists and U.S.-Egyptian dual nationals who are detained while participating in political demonstrations.
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These are the other places with an active travel advisory
While the advisory focuses on demonstrations and terrorist attacks in crowded places commonly visited by tourists in particular, the State Department has been issuing multiple advisories for areas of the Middle East closer to the war between Israel and Gaza.
Most major airlines have now extended their cancelation of flights to both Israel and nearby countries such as Lebanon and Jordan into 2025, while the State Department issued the highest possible “get out now” advisory for U.S. citizens in Lebanon last week as the Israeli military continues to target Hezbollah bases in what are often densely populated areas of cities like Beirut and Tripoli.
“Commercial carriers continue to fly out of Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport with many flights scheduled each day,” the State Department update reads amid ongoing news coverage of airlines canceling flights. “The U.S. Embassy may not be able to assist U.S. citizens who choose to remain.”
Since the spring of 2024, the Caribbean nation of Haiti has also been at the highest “do not travel” rating amid an escalation of fighting between rival gangs that resulted in the seizure of Haiti’s main airport, the freeing of prisoners to help in an anti-government coup and the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
While Royal Caribbean (RCL) tried to continue running stops for the isolated port of Labadee for as long as it could, having it on its itinerary became untenable by the start of May.
