River Cruise Operators Return to Egypt

River Cruise Operators Return to Egypt

After the political turmoil in Egypt and the attempts to damage or steal valuable artifacts that followed, many feared tourism in Egypt will be a rare commodity in the near future. But travel companies are slowly but steadily returning to this gem of the African continent, a permanent tourist magnet throughout the year. Nile cruises, the pyramids, the mysteries of the Pharaohs, the sandy beaches or the lively Cairo have always been on the must-see and must-do lists of travelers from around the world.

More river cruise companies are following the return to Egypt trend and they have just announced they will be resuming sailings on the Nile. Grand Circle Travel and Overseas Adventure Travel are the latest river cruise operators to resume their normal schedule on the famous Egyptian river starting March 14. They share the same parent company and after returning to Egypt, they will also resume trips to Tunisia a few days later.

“Our decision to head back to both Egypt and Tunisia comes after extensive meetings with our ground operators, community leaders, and tourism officials,” Grand Circle Corporation Alan Lewis says in a statement. “Both countries are ready to receive visitors, which is great news for American travelers who tell us they want to travel to these destinations this year.”

River Cruise Operators Return to Egypt

The cruise operator focuses on group vacations for older US tourists and usually take about 10,000 people to Egypt each year. To ease the return to Nile cruises and attract new travelers, the company has also announced a big discount for all departures from September till December. A couple booking their trip by April 1st might get a discount of up to 1,000 USD.

The Grand Circle and Overseas Adventure announcement follows in the footsteps of one of the largest tour operators in Egypt, Abercrombie & Kent, that plans to resume its operations in the African country in April. Avalon Waterways, another Nile cruise operators, is also considering a future return to Egypt.