Over 16,000 Ukrainian Tourists Currently Staying in Red Sea Resorts

Over 16,000 Ukrainian tourists are currently staying in Red Sea resorts, with the majority of them found in Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh and Marsa Alam. The Ukrainian Chargé d’Affaires in Egypt, Ruslan Nechai, thanked Egypt for extending accommodations for the thousands of Ukrainians who are unable to return to their home country, allowing them to stay in hotels for free.

Although these tourists would not be able to directly fly to Ukraine as long as the country’s airspace is closed, they could travel through the borders of Ukraine’s friendly neighbouring states. The Ukrainian embassy contacted the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to help organise the return of Ukrainian tourists to these neighbouring countries so they can get back to their families.

Last Thursday, on February 24th, the Egyptian Hotel Association directed all hotels in Egypt to continue hosting Ukrainian and Russian tourists.

According to estimates from the Ukrainian Ministry of Education in 2021, there are 6,000 Egyptians currently living in Ukraine, 3,500 of which are students. The Ukrainian embassy in Cairo is currently coordinating with the Egyptian embassy in Kyiv to bring these Egyptian students home until the war with Russia is resolved.