CAIRO/LONDON: Egyptian officials say plans to increase charges for entry visas paid by foreign visitors arriving in the country have been put off until July 1.
The officials say the postponement was made at the request of leaders of the tourism sector who warned that introducing the higher charges now — from $25 up to $60 — would further hurt the struggling sector as the off-season approaches.
The officials spoke late Saturday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
Egypt’s vital tourism industry has been decimated after militants downed a Russian airliner over the Sinai Peninsula in October 2015, killing all 226 people on board.
The sector has, however, shown signs of slow recovery since the beginning of the year.
British assistance
Britain on Saturday finalized a $150 million loan guarantee to Egypt, where Boris Johnson was on his first visit to the country as foreign secretary.
In a statement, the Foreign Office said Johnson and President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed British support for Egypt’s economy including joint work on aviation security, anti-terrorism efforts and work to resolve regional conflicts especially in Libya and Syria, adding that human rights and the benefits of a free society to promote stability and economic growth were mentioned.
“The UK and Egypt have many shared interests, we are Egypt’s top economic partner and strong allies against terrorism and extremist ideas,” Johnson said in the statement. “I look forward to continuing to strengthen the close relationship between our two countries.”
Britain also pledged to boost university partnerships and teacher training, increase funding of economic development and social welfare programs, and increase funding new and existing social startups.
Egypt is undergoing painful economic adjustments as part of El-Sisi’s economic reform measures, with inflation hitting 30 percent in January.
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