12.00noon, 15/07/2013
Dear Travel Partner
In discussion with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO), we have taken the decision to suspend our flights to Luxor and Nile cruise itinerary up to 28 August 2013.
This is because the FCO is advising against non-essential travel to many areas of Egypt, including Luxor. They are NOT advising British nationals to leave the country, and they are NOT advising against travel to the Red Sea tourist resorts, which remain peaceful.
The safety of our customers and staff in the country remains our top priority. We continue to monitor the situation closely and work with the FCO to plan appropriate steps should the advice change. A summary of the latest information is shown below, but please check the Egypt information page on our website for regular updates.
Nile Cruises and holidays to Luxor
Dear Travel Partner
In discussion with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO), we have taken the decision to suspend our flights to Luxor and Nile cruise itinerary up to 28 August 2013.
This is because the FCO is advising against non-essential travel to many areas of Egypt, including Luxor. They are NOT advising British nationals to leave the country, and they are NOT advising against travel to the Red Sea tourist resorts, which remain peaceful.
The safety of our customers and staff in the country remains our top priority. We continue to monitor the situation closely and work with the FCO to plan appropriate steps should the advice change. A summary of the latest information is shown below, but please check the Egypt information page on our website for regular updates.
Nile Cruises and holidays to Luxor
Following FCO advice, we have taken the decision tosuspend our weekly Nile cruise itinerary and flights from Gatwick and Manchester to Luxor for departures up to, and including, 28 August. We apologise for the disruption this will cause.
Customers affected will be offered the opportunity to amend their booking to an alternative holiday from our programme with no amendment fee, or to cancel and receive a full refund. Cruise & Stay customers due to depart up toFriday 23 August will also have the opportunity to amend or cancel their holiday. All customers affected will be contacted by our Customer Service team within 7 days.
Our next flights to Luxor / Nile cruise itinerary are scheduled to depart on 4 September. These are still planned to go ahead as normal, and passengers are advised to continue with their holiday plans. We will continue to liaise closely with the FCO to determine their recommendation on whether these can go ahead, update our Egypt information pagewith the latest information as it becomes available, and contact you directly should you have any affected customers.
Excursions to Cairo & Luxor
In line with FCO recommendations, all excursions to Cairo and Luxor have been cancelled until further notice. Other excursions in the Red Sea resort areas, such as diving, snorkelling, quad biking and Bedouin adventures, remain unaffected.
The Red Sea Resorts
The vast majority of our holidaymakers visit the Red Sea resorts in the Hurghada / Makadi Bay area (including El Gouna, Sahl Hasheesh and Soma Bay), Sharm el Sheikh, Dahab and Taba. These areas remain unaffected by the disturbances that have taken place elsewhere, and guests there are continuing to enjoy their break as normal.
In fact, all of the Red Sea resorts are several hundred miles – a five hour drive – from Cairo. This makes them effectively isolated from the rest of Egypt, both by distance, and the limited number of roads. The resorts also have an exceptionally low crime rate, and very low unemployment due to the vibrant tourism industry.
All our flights to Hurghada, Sharm el Sheikh and Taba are still planned to go ahead as normal, and passengers are advised to continue with their holiday plans.
More information
We will keep you updated on any news on travel to Egypt that could affect the enjoyment of our customers holiday via our website and our Facebook and Twitter pages. Please also see the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website for further information.
Yours faithfully
Jason Hilton,
Sales Director
MTB 15/07/13
No comments:
Post a Comment