Egypt has decided to grant foreign
yacht tourists three-month visas, as opposed to the previous one-month
allowance.
This move is part of the state’s
efforts to remove all obstacles facing foreign yacht tourists along
the Egyptian coasts and to promote yacht tourism, the Ministry of Transport
said in a statement on Tuesday.
The extension is particularly useful
for people who may be prevented from leaving Egypt within their visa period by
unexpected circumstances such as bad weather, technical malfunctions or natural
disasters, the transport ministry explained.
To facilitate the process, the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs has instructed Egyptian embassies and consulates to grant
yacht tourists three-month tourist visas instead of the previous one-month
visa.
On Saturday, the foreign ministry announced
that tourist yachts can now apply for and receive their visas through a specialized online
portal. Through the Yacht Single Window,
foreign yachts can apply for and receive their visas within 30 minutes, with
fees paid in US dollars.
Yachts can also now enjoy the
flexibility to leave Egypt from any tourist port, not only the port where they
first arrive as was the rule under the previous system.
Egypt’s unique geographical
position with waterways linking three continents - Asia and Africa to
Europe – provides the country with great potential for yacht tourism.
The country's coastlines extend for
2,400 kilometers along the Mediterranean and Red Seas, with 23 developed
tourist ports able to receive yachts.
Source: Ahram
Online
