CAIRO: Egypt has suspended issuing of permits to establish new travel agencies for the next year, announced Egypt's Minister of Tourism, Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour, on Monday. He said the country is not in great need of them at the moment. In a statement released by the Ministry, he said Egypt has too many travel agencies, and that due to the decline in tourism because of the recent political developments in the country the number of tourists is less than normal, leading to the decision to suspend granting new permits for one year. According to the statement, Egypt has approximately 2,000 travel agencies across the country. The Ministry believes more travel agencies in the market will push prices down and lead to tougher competition, leaving a negative impact on the quality of services provided to tourists and affecting the flow. BM
