site.btaBulgarian Foreign Ministry Revises Travel Advisory for Egypt and Jordan

Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry has updated its travel advisory for Egypt and Jordan in connection with the flared-up tensions between Israel and Hamas. Changes exclude organized travel to Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada in Egypt, and define the areas in Jordan which should be avoided, Future for Tourism Association Deputy Chair Dimitar Baltov said during a press conference at the BTA National Press Club in Sofia on Thursday.

He said that the decision to revise the travel advisory was taken following a meeting of representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Transport held at the Tourism Ministry. According to him, “an umbrella travel advisory for these countries is borderline absurd”. Baltov noted that the travel advice warnings in all Western European countries concern specific regions and are mainly for individual travel.

Egypt Ambassador to Bulgaria Khalid Ibrahim Emara said that he had informed the Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry of his country's position that the travel advisory was unjustified. “There are currently many people travelling to Egypt from different countries,” Emara noted. He said that there are nine million refugees in Egypt and stressed that everyone in his country feels safe and leads a normal life. The diplomat added that tourism in Egypt is based on coexistence and peace. He pointed out that Bulgaria is also close to conflict zones and that Egypt has not issued any travel advice warnings for this country or other areas in close proximity to conflict zones over the past years. Emara reported that more than 14 million people have visited Egypt between January and September 2023.

A letter sent by the Jordan Tourism Board and read out by Baltov at the press conference says that Jordan remains a safe and welcoming destination for tourists, and its commitment to ensure the safety and well-being of all visitors remains unwavering.

Baltov pointed out that after the increase in the travel advisory level for these countries was made public, some of the people who had planned their trips there wanted to cancel them. “We can't give them a refund, and we are telling them that we will abide by the terms of the contract because this is a travel advice warning issued by the Ministry that we are dealing with,” Baltov said. He suggested that industry representatives should be included in a working group on the matter so that the sector is part of the process.