U.S. Elevates Travel Advisory Level for Egypt
by Daine Taylor /
The U.S. Department of State, along with Canada and the UK, have issued travel advisories for visitors to Egypt.
The Level 2 advisory, issued on July 2, instructed visitors to “practice enhanced caution” when traveling to Egypt due to reports of civil unrest in the area.
The U.S. State Department cautions travelers about the possibility of terrorist attacks throughout areas in Egypt.
According to the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), potential attacks can occur with little or no warning, with terrorists targeting diplomatic facilities, tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, western businesses, restaurants, resorts, and local government facilities.
The Sinai Peninsula remains a particularly dangerous area, with frequent attacks on security forces and civilians. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens anywhere in the Sinai Peninsula, as U.S. government employees are not authorized to travel to these areas (with the exception of the beach resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, and travel to that resort is only permitted by air).
More than 8 million travelers visited Egypt in 2018, and with summer in full swing, the travel warning could severely impact tourism in the region.
For anyone who decides to visit Egypt this summer, the U.S. Department of State suggests enrolling in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to receive alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.