Permits to start new travel agencies in Egypt are to be suspended for a year, says Minister of Tourism Fakhri Abdel Nour.

A statement from his ministry on 21 March noted "there are too many travel agencies in Egypt", adding that recent political developments had led to a substantial fall in visitor numbers.

There are around 2,000 travel agencies currently operating in Egypt, Riad Qabil, secretary general of the Egyptian Chambers of Tourism, told the independent daily newspaper Al Masry Al Youm. He said that adding new travel agencies in the current climate would lead to intensified competition and push prices down, impacting on the quality of customer service.