“IT is easier to obtain a ticket to Paradise than a Schengen visa,” says30-year-old Sherif Massoud, standing impatiently outside the French Embassy in Cairo. Perhaps Sherif deliberately gave his wrong name, to improve the chances of one of the officials in the French Embassy actually accepting his application. The young unemployed man is hoping to travel to Italy, where his cousin has promised him work. Sharif's story has been told by thousands of other Egyptians, who knock gently at the doors of the US and European embassies, begging for a tourist visa. Many of them give up and try instead to sail across the Mediterranean to Europe. Hundreds of Egyptians have lost their lives in the chilly waters. In many cases, the unreliable boats they travel on sink tantalisingly close to the Italian coast. The insult to Egyptians standing outside European embassies is more keenly felt by university professors, journalists, businessmen and ordinary citizens, hoping to take sick family members to Europe for treatment. Tourist agencies and companies in Egypt also complain that the Schengen visa has destroyed their prospects, compelling them to cancel many package trips to European destinations. Although it's done little to help Egyptians, this visa has made travelling between EU member states much easier and less bureaucratic for people from many other countries. The holder of a Schengen visa can travel to any (or all) member countries using a single visa, thus avoiding the hassle and expense of obtaining individual visas for each country. This is particularly beneficial for persons who wish to visit several European countries on the same trip. A 'visitor visa', is issued to citizens of countries required to obtain a visa before entering Europe. Wassim Mohieddin, Chairman of the Hotel Association, describes the Schengen visa as a perennial and incurable headache, impeding efforts made annually by many hotels in Egypt to participate in international travel fairs held in European countries or the US. “Hotels incur huge losses because of this visa,” the Chairman says indignantly. “The US and European embassies should differentiate between people travelling on business or holiday and those looking for work,” Mohie said As a result of this frustrating Schengen visa, the tourist companies and hotels have incurred losses estimated at millions of Egyptian pounds. Worse, officials at the US Embassy and European embassies in Cairo often only issue this iconic visa when it's too late. According to managers sent by their bosses to take part in trade fair overseas, they commonly receive the Schengen visa seven or more months after the fair is over! The absence of Egyptians at these events undermines their reputation and credibility in the foreign markets. A sales manager at a five-star hotel in downtown Cairo regrets that, although she's been to different European countries many times before, she nowadays feels dismayed and frustrated whenever she plans to fly to any of these destinations again. “I wonder why there's all this fuss?” asks the sales manager, speaking on condition of anonymity, adding that it's particularly difficult to get visas to Germany, Italy or France.
