South African travellers who are planning to visit Sharm El Sheikh are being discouraged to do so by tour operators.
Although the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation has yet to issue a warning to South African travellers, tour operators believe it is in their clients’ interests not to visit the country at this time, including the resort town Sharm El Sheikh.
Previously, authorities in the UK and Europe issued travel advisories against travel to Egypt, specifically the North Sinai area, but they excluded Sharm El Sheikh, saying the heightened military presence in the area made it safe to travel there.
Since then, the German and Belgian governments changed their travel advice to include the entire Sinai region.
Juan Nel, marketing manager for African Encounters, says: “We are advising clients about the situation and at this stage we are advising them not to go unless, of course, they are adamant. If that is the case we will get it in writing that they were warned.”
While he believes the country should be safe for tourists as they are well looked after by ground operators, recent incidents, such as the kidnapping of tourists in Yemen and threats from terrorist groups, have led the tour operator not to promote the destination at all until it stabilises. “It’s such a good value-for-money destination, I wish it would stabilise soon,” says Juan.
