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Mira Maged – Egypt Independent
An official statement published by the Association of Egyptian Travel Agencies announced that Egypt has suspended all flights to and from China amid an outbreak the deadly coronavirus.
Killing over 80 people according to the Chinese government and infecting over 2,000, the coronavirus originated in China’s city of Wuhan.
The statement added that all trips to Egypt’s touristic spots, including Hurghada, Sharm El-Sheikh and Aswan that were booked by Chinese travel agencies are adjourned.
A Member of the Committee for Marketing Cultural Tourism, Mohamed Fathi, told Borsa News that Egypt has around 24 Egyptian travel agencies specialised in the Chinese market, which are facing a challenging situation due to the viral outbreak.
Trips for 30,000 Chinese tourists expected to visit Egypt in the winter were cancelled, he said.
Egypt was set to welcome 150,000 Chinese visitors in 2020, according to Fathi in Borsa News.
The international law does not require Egyptian travel companies refund deposits of the cancelled trips, Fathi expressed concern that this may lead to tensions between China and Egypt, Borsa News reported.
Fathi urged the Egyptian government to support these companies by not imposing cancellation sanctions, which require them to pay 20 percent of the booking’s value.
The Egyptian minister of Health, Hala Zayed attended an inspection tour in Sharm El-Sheikh airport, affirming that no cases have been diagnosed in Egypt so far.
She ensured that health services have all the essential precautions in case the virus is discovered in Egypt.
Zayed released guidelines on how to deal with the virus, warning travellers who show symptoms to immediately to cover their face with a mask and head to the nearest hospital.
