FCO advise against travel to Egypt

Pollycat

mcfisco wrote: »

I've not had chance to read through the full details but a speed read of the US State Dept's advice to US citizens is to avoid all unessential travel to Egypt at the moment.

Do you live in USA?

If you don't, why would you check their website out rather than FCO?

I've already posted (post #3) what FCO say (or at least 'said' yesterday morning - I don't know if they've changed it since) about Red Sea Resorts.

I've just checked again and I think it's pretty much the same advice as I posted yesterday:

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advise against all travel to the Governorate of North Sinai due to the significant increase in criminal activity. See North Sinai.

The FCO advise against all but essential travel to the Governorate of South Sinai, with the exception of (i) the Red Sea Resorts including those in the entire region of Sharm el Sheikh, Taba, Nuweiba and Dahab; (ii) the St Catherine’s Monastery World Heritage Site; (iii) road travel between the Red Sea resorts; (iv) road travel from the Red Sea resorts to St Catherine’s Monastery approaching from the east; and (v) transfers between the resorts and the airports of Taba and Sharm el Sheikh. See South Sinai and Road travel.

If you look at the FCO map, you'll see that there is a small area where they advise against all travel and an adjacent small area where they advise against all but essential travel.

mcfisco

Pollycat wrote: »

Do you live in USA?

If you don't, why would you check their website out rather than FCO?

We tend to work in a lot of places that aren't as stable as we're used to at home so we check all sorts of places for info to try and get a consensus, we also get private assessments for some places.

Pollycat

mcfisco wrote: »

We tend to work in a lot of places that aren't as stable as we're used to at home so we check all sorts of places for info to try and get a consensus, we also get private assessments for some places.

You're talking about something totally different.
I understand why you might check a US website as they probably err on the side of caution safety-wise.

But most people just go on holiday to fairly common places - like the Red Sea for example, or on a Nile Cruise.

I doubt many people have a holiday booked to Djibouti. :cool:

mcfisco

Yep, and like I said - I'd go tomorrow but I wouldn't book a holiday to Egypt for the future.
What the FO [or the US SD] can't do is give you an idea of the likely situation more than a couple of days at a time, at best.

It's just not worth risking losing your holiday when there are a 101 other places that look a tad more stable right now
The Pyramids have been there for over 3000 years, they'll wait a few more.

[Deleted User]

mcfisco wrote: »

Yep, and like I said - I'd go tomorrow but I wouldn't book a holiday to Egypt for the future.
What the FO [or the US SD] can't do is give you an idea of the likely situation more than a couple of days at a time, at best.

It's just not worth risking losing your holiday when there are a 101 other places that look a tad more stable right now
The Pyramids have been there for over 3000 years, they'll wait a few more.

Agreed.
If, as seems likely,a military coup ejects the democratically-elected government then it could all kick off again big time in Egypt.
It's a challenging destination at the best of times and the Egyptians are a hot-headed,volatile lot.
There are many other places offering cheap sun without the political hassle.
Even Turkey.

budgetflyer

If I was booking, id make sure it was a proper package too.( and I hate those!) However if it does all kick off @ The Red Sea area, it will be much more straight forward than re organising an independent itinary or dynamic package

spacey2012

budgetflyer wrote: »

However if it does all kick off

It has just "kicked off" those who chose to ignore the advice are likely to become prisoners and hostages .

Mr_Wang

spacey2012 wrote: »

It has just "kicked off" those who chose to ignore the advice are likely to become prisoners and hostages .

I emailed my friend in Luxor this morning and she said the following (she is Belgian):

"As you know, Egypt is living very very difficult moments.

Now my point of view : I would not advise people to go to the demonstrations or to join them. If, however, you behave as a "normal" tourist, visit the sites, etc - there is no danger at all. I am living here, have no problems - I go shopping, go to tombs and temples, walk in the streets, but I am staying away from the "hotspots", where people are demonstrating. Today, tourists are arriving from the UK : the taxi picks them up at the airport, they"ll visit the sites (few people there, that is for sure !) and that is it. Nobody will bother them, quite the contrary.

I promise you to warn you immediately if there would be any danger : we expect a political outcome in the next 48 hours : probably the army will take over the power.


Of course, if the situation changes, I"ll let you know immediately. I stayed in the center of Cairo during the 3 weeks of the revolution, 2,5 years ago. There the same scenario : if you stayed away from the "hotspots", nothing went on"

Pollycat

I believe the map on the FCO website has changed since yesterday.

For almost the whole of Egypt they are saying they "advise against all but essential travel".

For the remaining small part (Governorate of North Sinai?), they say they "advise against all travel".

However, I don't think they have updated the wording on the FCO website, specifically about Red Sea resorts - but I may be wrong.

sillygoose

mcfisco wrote: »

Yep, and like I said - I'd go tomorrow but I wouldn't book a holiday to Egypt for the future.
What the FO [or the US SD] can't do is give you an idea of the likely situation more than a couple of days at a time, at best.

It's just not worth risking losing your holiday when there are a 101 other places that look a tad more stable right now
The Pyramids have been there for over 3000 years, they'll wait a few more.

I wonder how much a Bullet Proof vest weighs? could be tricky on RyanAir carry on unless you wear it all week :rotfl:

But you remind me of a serious point, I wonder where will be a relatively 'safe bet' for next summer?

Somewhere not too expensive, not long haul flight, hot, the cashpoints work/have money in them, reasonable crime risk and not in catastrophic economic meltdown?

I'm struggling!