New tourist tax at Cairo airport

Tax applies to tourists leaving Egypt via Cairo Airport

Tourists leaving Cairo airport will now be charged $25 at Cairo International Airport, in a move that commentators suggest will further hit the country's troubled tourism sector.

The $25 exit fee is levied on people leaving Egypt via Cairo airport, while a fee of $4 applies to those leaving Cairo on domestic flights.

The Egyptian government is claiming the charges through airline companies. Egypt's tourism sector, which represents 11 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product, has been in turmoil since the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Hosni Mubarak. Separately, visa fees for tourists coming to Egypt were increased in May from $15 to $20.

The total number of tourists visiting Egypt in the first four months of this year is 2.8 million, a decline of almost 3 per cent from the same period last year, according to official figures from the tourism ministry. Last year Egypt welcomed 9.5 million tourists, down from 14 million tourists in 2010.