CAIRO, Egypt – Egypt will increase tourist visa fees from $15 to $20 starting on May 1, 2014.
According to Hesham Zazou, tourism minister, the increase is slight and is not expected to affect the flow of tourists to the country.
The decision to increase the cost of a tourist visa to Egypt was previously postponed several times. The decision was initially meant to be implemented in November 2013. It was then postponed to February 2014, and finally to 1 May.
According to the tourism ministry, Egyptโs visa is still amongst the cheapest worldwide.
The number of tourists visiting Egypt in the first two months of 2014 dropped 28 percent to 1.3 million in comparison to January and February 2013.
As the security situation in South Sinai has deteriorated under a growing militant insurgency, Germany issued a warning against travel to the peninsula.
Egyptโs revenues from tourism, a key source of foreign currency, dropped drastically after the 2011 revolution amid subsequent political instability and violence.