The Ministry of Environment has offered 50% off on entrance fees for individual and daily motorboat trips to protected areas in South Sinai and Red Sea governorates. According to a statement on Monday, the ministry announced that the implementation of environmental management decisions in the protected areas would be delayed. This comes following coordination with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Egyptian Tourism Federation (ETF). Fouad indicated that this decision also regulates safari trip fees, as it allows the collection of a weekly fee per person for safari trips in the South Sinai and Red Sea protected areas. Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad said this decision comes on the back of the state's implementation of an incentive package to restore tourism activities, particularly environmental tourism. The government's incentive package also aims to support workers in the country's long-suffering tourism sector, especially due to the severe economic impacts of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Egypt's tourism has been hit hard by the current global health crisis, particularly as tourism worldwide has been stopped and inbound and outbound international flights have been largely stopped around the world. This coincides with the Ministry of Environment's issuance of a number of precautionary measure guidelines for tourism sector workers. These have been put in place to both protect their health and safety in the workplace, and to ensure they safely deal with potential waste hazards, including on tourism boats. The ministry is also providing support to the tourism sector through guidelines ensuring the safety of tourists and Egypt's many and varied environmental systems. Through the Migratory Soaring Birds Project, the Ministry of Environment is putting in place a set of environmental standards for hotels and other tourism establishments. These are to ensure a reduction in environmental impacts, and to qualify the hotels for the green tourism market. Fouad added that it will also help Egypt set up a sustainable tourism strategy.
