Travel
Egypt’s government levies $25 airport tax on tourists despite its struggle to lure them back
Great Sphinx of Giza and the pyramid of Khafre. Photo by Hamish2k / Wikimedia Commons.
CAIRO, Egypt—An Egyptian airport official says authorities have levied a new airport tax on tourists leaving the country, a move that has been criticized as being a further deterrent for vacationers considering the country as a holiday destination.
An airport official said Thursday the government started last month applying the roughly $25 fee on ticket purchases through airline companies.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Egypt’s tourism industry has been hit hard by the three years of turmoil since the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
From a high of more than 14 million tourists in 2010, only around 9.6 million came to Egypt in 2011.
According to the Tourism Ministry, 9.5 million tourists visited Egypt in 2013.
