While European countries opened their borders officially on Monday 15 June, most African countries are still under lockdown. However, Egypt has announced it will reopen borders to tourists 1 July.
According to The Citizen, Aviation Minister Mohamed Manar said:
“Flights will resume between Egypt and ‘countries which have reopened their airspace”
The Egyptian government has also decided to waive visa fees for tourists arriving on direct flights until October 31, 2020, reports Egypt Independent. Egypt’s Ministry of Civil Aviation also agreed to a 50% discount on accommodation and landing fees in all tourist cities for charter trips as part of the strategy to revive the country’s tourism sector.
The Red Sea, South Sinai and Marsa Matruh are expected to reopen from 1 July.
‘We chose these three governorates because they are coastal, far from the main centres, and have reported the lowest numbers of virus infections,’ said Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled al-Anani.
Tunisia joins in reopening its borders to Europe and Algeria from 27 June. According to Travel off path, Algeria provided 25% of Tunisia’s nine million tourist arrivals in 2019.