Planning Egypt in 2025? Here's how regional conflict could change your plans
Is it currently safe to travel to Egypt amid the fighting in Israel (photo: Freepik)
Egypt has long been one of the most popular vacation destinations for Ukrainians. However, the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran has raised concerns among many who plan to visit the region. Metro explains which areas in Egypt are currently considered safe for tourists.
How close is the danger to the resorts?
Although Egypt shares a border with Israel, most of the popular resorts are located far from the conflict zones.
For example, Sharm El Sheikh is more than 2.5 hours away from the nearest border town. Other tourist cities, mainly in the country's central or southern parts, like Hurghada, Luxor, Cairo, and Aswan, are even farther away.
Thus, Ukrainians' familiar vacation spots—concentrated along the Red Sea coast—are not directly threatened.
At the same time, the situation in North Sinai remains unstable: travel restrictions are in place, and the UK Foreign Office, along with other countries, advises against visiting this area.
However, this region is about five hours from the tourist resorts, meaning most Ukrainian travelers never encounter it.
What governments and tour operators say
Currently, most tour operators continue to sell trips to Egypt without changes. Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not issued any bans on traveling to the main resort areas.
The UK Foreign Office warns only about North Sinai, the border zones with Libya, the Israeli-Palestinian region, and some desert areas. These warnings do not apply to Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh, Aswan, Abu Simbel, or Luxor — the places that attract tourists.
If the situation rapidly worsens and official bans are introduced, tourists can cancel their trips free of charge. However, so far, due to the lack of such bans, insurance will not cover cancellations made at personal discretion.
Egypt remains a safe destination for tourists (photo: Freepik)
What's happening in the region: a brief overview of the Israel-Iran conflict
There is indeed a growing risk of a new war in the Middle East. Recently, Israel launched airstrikes on Iranian territory, targeting nuclear and military facilities.
This was in response to suspicions that Tehran is developing nuclear weapons, which Israel sees as a direct threat. Iran, in turn, insists that its nuclear program is peaceful. In retaliation for the attacks, air defense systems were activated over Tel Aviv, and civilians were killed in Israel.
Although the conflict is not occurring on Egyptian soil, it directly involves Egypt's neighbors and may have indirect consequences. However, there are currently no signs that Egypt will become involved in active military operations or that tourist areas are under threat.
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