Intrepid Travel is pausing its tours in Egypt, as well as to Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia, cancelling upcoming departures to 31 Mar.
Simon Mckearney, Intrepid gm New Zealand, cites the safety and wellbeing of clients for the move. “We’re deeply saddened to see the recent escalation of violence and the uncertainty it creates for communities across the region,” he says.
“There is no doubt that the impact is large and will continue to be for some time even, if events settle down sooner than expected.”
The good news is that traveller appetite remains strong. Mckearney says many customers are choosing to rebook for later in the year or switch to destinations closer to home, such as Australia and Asia.
“What we’re seeing in practice is that many travellers are either moving their Egypt trip to a later date or switching to other destinations where travel is continuing as planned,” he says.
“Our advice to agents is to encourage clients to stay informed through official travel advisories and speak with their travel provider about the options available to them.”
. . . Alternatives
Mckearney says Intrepid’s other trips are continuing to operate as normal.
“Turkey has remained a popular destination for Kiwi travellers this year and currently sits within our top destinations for bookings year-to-date,” he says.
“For travellers looking for an alternative to Egypt, Morocco has also been performing strongly and continues to be a popular choice.”
. . . Egypt Open
Innovative Travel continues to operate tours in Egypt, with its Cairo-based Director Elhamy ElZayat advising that tourism in Egypt is fully operational and Cairo International Airport remains open, with a range of international airlines operating regular services, including EgyptAir, Royal Jordanian, Oman Air and Lufthansa.
Given that Jordan’s current advisory recommends avoiding non-essential travel, Innovative is editing itineraries that feature Jordan with clients able to either extend their time in Egypt or include another destination such as Oman, Türkiye or Greece, where tours are continuing to operate as planned. Those travelling to Egypt in the next few weeks who require re-routing are urged to contact Oman Air, it adds.
