World nations lift Egypt travel bans

Ahram Online, Monday 13 Jun 2011

US, Japan and Australia are among the final countries to relax their travel advice, but warn citizens to show caution

All foreign nations have lifted their travel warnings for Egypt, Al-Ahram newspaper reported on Monday, citing Egypt’s minister of tourism, Mounir Fakhri Abdel-Nour.

It comes as a rare piece of good news for Egypt’s beleaguered tourism industry, badly shaken by January and February’s unrest and continuing concerns over a lack of security.

Visitor numbers were down 46 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2011, according to CAPMAS data released in May.

The US, Japan and Australia – some of the important sources of tourism income for Egypt – have eased their travel warnings but are advising citizens to exercise caution when visiting.

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