shame on you Libra
we strongly recommend that our guests acquire a visa on arrival
but that is clearly not what they are saying on their website blurb or Paulines invoice
We would also explain that experience has shown that if guests need to be repatriated for any reason whatsoever or require medical assistance, if they do not have a visa we are unable to move them to a hospital outside the Red Sea area or arrange a return flight from any other airport. Under the circumstances, we believe that a visa is a necessary requirement and this is the reason for the statement on our website.
Thank you for your prompt reply. There are, however, still a few discrepancies from your reply.
1) The visa situation has nothing to do with the "Red Sea area", as you state. e.g. Hurghada and Marsa Alam are on the Red Sea coast, but visas ARE required to go there. Sharm is on the Red Sea coast, but visas are NOT needed. The Red Sea extends all the way south to Djibouti (where it changes to the Gulf of Aden). It is the Sinai region where visas are not required.
Guests who do not buy a visa on entry at Sharm or Taba airports and then decide to visit the Pyramids etc can purchase one at any time. Holiday reps will be able to help. After all, is it not part of their job to help guests?
Your reply also says that you strongly recommend getting a visa, whereas your site states that visas are required for ALL visits to Egypt. Slightly different.
2) There is a perfectly good hospital in Sharm itself. If for any reason the guest does need to be transferred to Cairo, then again the rep could get the visa.
3) The price of the visa is US$15, signs in arrival halls state this. Some people have been charged £20 when they ask if they can pay in Sterling. Does this seem fair?
The first time I went to Egypt (with Libra) we had no choice in the matter whether we bought one or not. The rep told everyone to line up to buy a visa, he didn't say "if required". Since I became aware of the visa needs, I have never bought one. On another trip (not Libra this time) the rep on the coach said that if we didn't purchase one at the airport, we would HAVE to buy one from him before we reached the hotel. We told him we had been many times before and that was untrue. People who were there for the first time asked us about it, so we told them the situation. They promptly put their money away!
Thank you for your further e-mail and your observations. I will pass them on to our Brochure Department and Reservations Department for their information.
then just go straight to the passport control desks. You will not need to queue up with the other people waiting to buy a visa. Your passport is stamped at the desks.
Miss_Chief1 wrote:then just go straight to the passport control desks. You will not need to queue up with the other people waiting to buy a visa. Your passport is stamped at the desks.
Oh that's very handy to know, has anyone else tried it ?
The table that sells the visas do not have the stamp.
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