EgyptianAuthorities cancelled visa fee for the Russians starting from January 15, 2015.
By doing so they freed Russian visitors of the requirement to pay $25 per
person until April 30, 2015.
This
initiative is aimed at supporting the Russians amid financial difficulties. In
2014, Egypt welcomed around
three million tourists from Russia.
However the welcoming party is concerned with the devaluation of rouble and
bankruptcies of tour operators.
According
to the Press-Secretary of the Russian Union of
Travel Industry, Mrs. Irina Tyurina, the visa fee waiver's goal is to keep the
tourist flow on its previous level. "During the period from January to
September 2014, Egypt
was visited by almost 1.9 million Russians, which is 32% more when compared to
the same period of 2013. The figure is even higher than that of the
pre-revolution year of 2010. Thus, after the severe drop caused by the
"Arabic Spring", the flow of tourists had managed to fully recover.
However, in the last quarter of the previous year, the flow slowed down again.
This time, due to financial problems in Russia", comments Mrs.
Tyurina.
She added
that the $25 fee doesn't seem like a lot of money, but for a family it comes to
a hundred dollars, which is not a bad saving considering prices for vacations
in Egypt.
This initiative, she continues, is very likely to positively contribute to the
country's image. But it's hard to say whether it's going to cause a rise in the
tourist flow - it all depends on the economic situation in Russia.
Generally, the people will travel, as long as they have money for that.
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