Crisis in Tahrir

Egypt to restrict duty free booze, close shops in country

| 22 December 2011 | Comments (11)

New regulations have people worried in Egypt.

CAIRO: A finance ministry directive earlier this month went almost unnoticed as the Egyptian capital erupted in violence between the military and protesters. New regulations could have major affects on travelers to and from the North African country, however, as the ministry regulations state that upon arrival to Egypt, only one bottle of alcohol will be permitted, and only two annually from duty free shops abroad.

According to the ministry, and confirmed by local managers of duty free shops in the country, all alcohol will be removed from the shops in the coming months, but no clear timetable for the changes has been put to paper.

One ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media, told Bikyamasr.com that the move is not a push “to ban alcohol, but to boost local economy.”

He argued that by limiting the amount of alcohol that a tourist or Egyptian is able to bring into the country, “it means they will have to buy locally and this will help the economy a lot.”

However, Will Rensper, a German resident in Egypt, said that it is more likely in response to the growing conservative Islamic groups in the country.

“I believe that this is a move to help appease the Islamists who want to do their best to push drinking away from Egypt and make this country conservative,” the German teacher said, adding that he had recently come into the country with four bottles of alcohol and had no trouble.

It is unclear when, or if, the new regulations will be put in place, but earlier this fall, Egyptian officials announced that visas for foreigners would no longer be given upon arrival at airports, but less than 72 hours after the announcement, the move was revoked.

It is unclear if this will be the case for booze, but it does have foreigners and Egyptians alike worried that it is highlighting the pull of the Islamic groups in the country.

BM

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Section: Egypt, Latest News, Travel

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  • Anonymous

    Ok, lets talk about economy not the drunks. I believe that alcohol sold in duty free shops brings pretty big money to the economy of Egypt (probably even more than local brands) because those brands are simply worth buying! Alcohol (gambling, smoking) are always “state budget hole” patch. In this case – anti-alcoholics – will you mind- to help your state with this money?

  • Marcintob

    Annahass : It’s partly true – alcohol may cause problems of course but if you banned it, it wouldn’t help much. Last but not least – banning and enforcing that law would be somehow as expensive as educating people how to use and not misuse liquors.

  • Philip Zhao

    All bottles should be made into Molotov cocktails !

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  • Concerned

    Egypt is in danger of driving away even loyal return visitors. Already, so few tourists are visiting. So far, confused statements have done nothing to help a dying economy. I hope the new parties allow freedom of choice for civilians and visitors. Otherwise, Egypt has no chance. 

    • Annahass

      I do believe alcohol should only be available in the big hotels and if the tourists are so desperate for alcohol that they can’t live without it for a 2 week holiday they can go there for it. Like Smoking we all know the harm of alcohol. Of the drunks and the abuse of the families of alcoholics. They should ban it and smoking.

  • Sjean1r1

    Perhaps this really is just an attempt to boost the local economy.  Egypt produces perfectly good  alcoholic products such as Stella (the local beer) and wines.  They have actually produced beer in Egypt for thousands of years.

    • Matdipas

      Unfortunately one cannot count on quality control and often the alcohol content from one bottle of Stella or Sakara will vary greatly from another.   The local wines compared to other wines that are produced in the world, however, are not palatable at all, extremely acidic and generally tolerated because that is what is available but not really enjoyed.     

      If they do restrict duty free, it will not boost local sales.  It will, on the other hand, not attract foreign tourists and that will hurt the economy more.