Egypt has moved to calm tourists nerves over scaled-back opening hours of shops and restaurants due to the war in Iran, after the country announced it would enforce an earlier closing time due to the oil crisis.
Egypt's large-scale energy-saving measures are not intended to apply to popular travel destinations such as Hurghada, Marsa Alam, Luxor, Aswan and Sharm El Sheikh, the tourism ministry said as the rules took effect at the end of March.
To save energy, cafés, restaurants, bars and shops in Egypt will close at 9 pm for at least a month, or at 10 pm on Thursdays and Fridays. The government announced the move in response to sharply rising energy costs as a result of the Iran war.
In central areas of Cairo and in popular holiday resorts, many shops, bars and restaurants typically stay open until around 1 am or 2 am, allowing locals and tourists to enjoy milder evening temperatures.
This is set to remain the case in certain areas, and the exemption also applies to restaurants popular with tourists, including in the capital Cairo.
The aim is to continue ensuring a high standard of service and security regardless of the measures, the tourism minister said in a statement.
The announced measures had triggered concerns among tourists. "If things stay like this, I might as well stay at home," one user wrote in a Facebook group for German holidaymakers in Hurghada. "Tourism will be harmed more than helped," another wrote.
Energy prices have risen as a result of renewed conflict in the Middle East. Iran responded to attacks from the US and Israel by effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for global oil and gas supplies.
The government in Cairo hopes to counter its natural gas shortage by reducing electricity consumption. Egypt generates more than 80% of its electricity from natural gas, much of which is imported. The most important gas supplier, Israel, stopped exports to Egypt when the war began more than four weeks ago.
The measure is initially set to last one month and may be extended depending on how the war develops.
LATEST POSTS
- 1
Remains of banker missing since 1999 found on California beach by family looking for seashells - 2Vote In favor of Your Favored Cereal
- 3Ancient meditation practices find new life in modern religious communities across America
- 4Brazil judge orders government to add JBS subsidiary to 'dirty list' for slavery
- 5At UN climate conference, some activists and scientists want more talk on reforming agriculture
- Israeli naval intelligence reduces Iranian threat to Strait of Hormuz
- Germany's Deutsche Welle broadcaster declared 'undesirable' in Russia
- Well known SUVs With Low Energy Utilization In 2024 vote
- I binged all 24 Hallmark Christmas movies in less than 30 days. I emerged a changed man.
- Figure out how to Keep up with Your Dental Inserts for Long haul Achievement
- Baby takes 1st steps after receiving groundbreaking gene-edited therapy
- An Excursion Through Renowned Western Network programs
- Single women risk rape and exploitation in search for better life in Europe
- South Korea to End Bear Bile Farming and Find New Homes for the 200 Bears Stuck in the Industry
