CAIRO — The Israeli Ministry of Transport announced in June an agreement with the Egyptian authorities to open the Taba land crossing between Egypt and Israel, starting July 3, for an indefinite period. The measure aims to allow a large number of Israeli tourists to enter resorts in the southern Sinai Peninsula, representing one of their preferred destinations, according to the ministry.

The Israeli move comes at a time when Egyptian authorities are imposing more restrictions on the entry of Egyptian citizens to the resorts of south Sinai. Al-Monitor met with several Egyptians who planned their vacation in south Sinai, but were eventually forced to return to the cities from which they came. 

Al-Monitor contacted an official at the media office of the Ministry of Interior to get a comment on the matter and the reasons why some Egyptians are banned from entering south Sinai. The official denied this, saying, “There is no ban against the movement of Egyptians inside Egypt.” 

According to the Israel Airports Authority, which oversees the Taba border crossing between Egypt and Israel, more than 1.5 million Israeli tourists entered south Sinai in 2019. This number dropped to 335,000 in 2021 after the reopening of the crossings that were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Recent figures, however, show a rebound with 334,000 Israeli tourists having arrived in south Sinai since the beginning of June.