The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism postponed the decision to increase the tourist entry visa fees from $25 to $60 until July, although Egyptian airport officials announced last week that authorities were to apply the new fees this week. The decision will be applied on 1 July instead of 1 March, said the ministry in a statement to state-news agency Middle East News Agency (MENA). There were no reasons given by the ministry regarding the delay; however, according to the Al-Ahram Arabic news website, the decision was taken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs because of several complaints from the tourism sector to the cabinet regarding the high rise being too abrupt. Tourists will have to pay $60 for their entry visa to Egypt instead of the earlier $25, and $70 for multiple entry visas, Egyptian airport officials said. The decision to raise the tourist entry visa fee came as a result of the country's vital tourism industry struggling to restore its normality and recover after it was immensely weakened when a Russian plane was downed in October 2015 over the Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board. This resulted in Egypt's struggle to attract the tourists that were consequently pushed away. Egypt's tourism revenues witnessed a 44.3% drop in 2016 from the year before. However, European countries like Russia, Norway, Sweden, and Finland—which have previously suspended their flights to Egypt after the Russian plane incident—have resumed their flights to Egypt. Egypt last increased its entry visa fees in April 2014 from $15 to $25.
