Channel 4 News
Next on TV
Tonight 7.00pm
Menu
16 Aug 2013

UK tells Egypt travellers: stay within beach resorts

The Foreign Office tells British tourists they can continue to travel to beach resorts in Egypt, despite escalating violence across the country and concerns about security.

Hurghada (G)

Muslim Brotherhood supporters are rallying across Egypt after at least 623 people died and thousands were wounded on Wednesday when police cleared out two protest camps in Cairo.

In response to the continued unrest, German tour operators TUI and Thomas Gook cancelled all holidays to Egypt on Friday until 15 September.

TUI Germany, part of Europe’s largest tour operator TUI Travel, said tourists already in the resorts could continue their holiday or speak to their holiday representative if they wished to leave early.

However the UK Foreign Office (FCO) has given the go-ahead for tourists to continue to travel to resorts in the Red Sea. Instead the advice to tourists is to stay within the resorts.

‘Avoid large gatherings’

Hurghada, 200 miles away from Cairo and a popular tourist desitnation, saw one person killed on Wednesday in violent clashes.

In press release, the FCO, said: “Hurghada police advised tourists to remain in hotel grounds. We advise you to follow their advice.

“You are strongly advised to avoid all demonstrations and large gatherings.

“If you become aware of any nearby protests, leave the area immediately. Do not attempt to cross road blocks erected by the security forces or protesters”.

Read more: Muslim Brotherhood calls for mass rally


Evening curfew

Other Egyptian resorts, including Sharm el-Sheikh, are unaffected, the FCO has said – despite having been under an evening curfew on Thursday.

The Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) said in a press release: “A precautionary evening curfew was observed in Sharm el-Sheikh yesterday but this has now been lifted.

“We are monitoring the situation closely and would encourage all travellers to Egypt to follow the FCO travel advice and any advice issued by their travel provider or local authorities when in resort.”

The FCO added: “In view of continued unrest and the evolving political situation in Egypt, the FCO advise against all but essential travel to the rest of Egypt except for resorts on the Red Sea in South Sinai and those resorts on the Egyptian mainland in Red Sea governorate (including Hurghada).”

Read more: Red Sea keeps drawing tourists despite Egypt's turmoil
Egypt (FCO)

UK tour operators Thomson and First Choice have 11,769 British holidaymakers in Egypt, many of them in Sharm el-Sheikh.

A spokeswoman for the two companies said: “We are working with the FCO and monitoring the situation closely in Egypt. The majority of our customers are in Sharm el-Sheikh which is a considerable distance – indeed, an eight-hour drive – from Cairo.

“There have been no related incidents in Sharm el-Sheikh or any of the other popular Red Sea tourist areas.

“Like much of Egypt, Sharm el-Sheikh was subject to an evening curfew until 6am yesterday morning. This has now been lifted and all our excursions in the Red Sea resorts will resume from today.”

Tourists travelling to Egypt can contact the FCO Travel Advice Team for more information.