Egypt extends to three months visa for foreign yachts in bid to boost sector

Egypt has decided to grant foreign yacht tourists three-month visas, as opposed to the previous one-month allowance, in a move to boost the sector.
The Ministry of Transport indicated in a statement issued Tuesday July 25 that the move is meant to remove all obstacles facing foreign yacht tourists along the Egyptian coasts and to promote yacht tourism.
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.
The North African country’s various missions around the world have been instructed to grant yacht tourists three-month tourist visas instead of the previous one-month visa.
On Saturday July 22, “Ahram Online” reports, 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. Egypt is looking to receive 15 million tourists this year and seeks to tap into its potential in yacht tourism. The North African country boats 2,400 kilometers of coastlines along the Mediterranean and Red Sea, with 23 developed tourist ports able to receive yachts.