Article updated 12th September 2011: If you hire a boat and keep going south from Kalkan, you will reach Egypt. *

Egypt is a tourist destination that has grown in popularity over recent years. 

That popularity was dented by the political turbulence that erupted as the regime of Hosni Mubarak came to an end, earlier in 2011.

But just as the country looks to rebuild its brand, in a post-Mubarak world, the new administration has decided that tourists can't enter the country, unless they have obtained a visa in their home country, prior to travel.

Article update: See this KTLN report on the suspension of these new rules: KTLN report

Government sources have said that this change is a necessary security measure.  However, senior figures in Egypt's tourism industry are concerned that this move will deter people from travelling to their country.

Whilst it is true that Egypt is not alone in requiring visitors to obtain a visa prior to travel, it is in contrast to the approach being taken by Turkey, where visa requirements for neighbouring countries are being relaxed.

Whilst the security concerns are understandable, we do wonder whether this new 'hassle factor' will work to Turkey's advantage.  Tourism is a major industry in both countries, and in some respects they offer similar experiences. 

Perhaps this requirement to obtain a visa prior to travel, will tip the balance for people who are weighing up their holiday options.  What do you think?

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KTLN provided some recent tourism statistics in our report "Never a better time to come to Kalkan" dated 19th August 2011.  To read that article, click here.

You can read more about Egypt's new visa rules in the following online news articles:

Daily News Egypt                                          Reuters

All Gisa Pyramids photo (above) by Ricardo Liberto.  Copyright acknowledged.

* Please don't keep going as far as Egypt, as the boat owners get upset!

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