Read the latest hotel industry news from the Middle East and Africa.
Israel, UAE Consider Travel Corridor
As vaccine rollouts progress, officials in Israel and the United Arab Emirates are hopeful they can soon create a “quarantine-free travel corridor,” Bloomberg reports. The goal would be to open the corridor to vaccinated travelers in April.
The agreement would represent significant positive growth for the two countries after normalizing relations in 2020, adding 28 direct flights weekly from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Both nations have seen COVID-19 cases steadily fall since January.
Egypt Charging for Vaccinations
In much less positive vaccine-related news, cash-strapped Egypt has resorted to charging its citizens for COVID-19 vaccinations, The Wall Street Journal reports. Many are now questioning how many people can realistically afford to pay for the shot, hampering vaccination efforts.
“Under the government’s vaccination program, many Egyptians and foreign nationals living in the country will have to pay the equivalent of $12 for two doses,” the newspaper reports. “That is a substantial sum here, more than a week’s wages for around a third of the population.”
Early Signs of Travel Hope in Africa
Bloomberg reports there are “glimmers of optimism” for the travel industry in various industries plagued by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including the African continent.
“This is Africa’s moment,” Pamela Lassers, spokesperson for Abercrombie & Kent, told the news agency. “Going on safari offers wide open spaces and privacy at the small boutique camps we recommend.”
She said that interest extends to Egypt, which she considers “the world’s largest open-air museum.”
Compiled by Sean McCracken.