Travel advice to troubled Egypt has been reviewed for the second time since Friday with Britons urged to leave the capital Cairo, Alexandria and Suez.
The amended advice from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office followed a warning against all but essential travel to Cairo – including the Pyramids at Giza – Alexandria, Luxor and Suez.
A nationwide curfew across the country has been extended from 3pm-8am local time amid growing anti-government demonstrations.
A general strike has been called for today (Monday January 31) and what is being billed as a “protest of the millions” march is due to take place tomorrow.
There were further mass demonstrations over the weekend in Cairo as residents complained of a deteriorating security situation and tourists and expats continued to flee the country.
More than 100 people have been killed in six days of unrest. The FCO said: “We recommend that British nationals without a pressing need to be in Cairo, Alexandria or Suez leave by commercial means where it is safe to do so.
“British nationals in other areas of Egypt where there are demonstrations should follow the advice below and stay indoors wherever possible.”
Foreign Secretary William Hague said that the welfare of British nationals in Egypt remained his top priority, and that he had deployed additional FCO staff to Egypt to support the embassy in providing consular assistance.
“We’ve given very clear travel advice and we keep it under continual review,” he said. “The great majority of Britons who are in Egypt are, of course, in the Red Sea resorts like Sharm-el-Sheikh.
“At the moment those have been calm. Our Honorary Consul is there and the travel operators say that things are working fairly normally in those places but we do keep our travel advice under very careful and constant review and so we will change it if we feel it’s necessary to do so”.
Commenting on the political situation, Hague urged Egypt’s leaders “to embark on peaceful reform and demonstrate to their people and others across the world that they are genuinely prepared to do that”.
He also called for the Egyptian government to respect, “freedom of expression” and said it was a mistake to close down the internet.
Philip Breckner, director of specialist operator Discover Egypt, said “We have cancelled our holidays operating on January 31 but we are not evacuating clients who wish to continue their holiday.
“Discover Egypt clients who are currently in Egypt and on our Nile cruises or in hotels are looked after by our guides and representatives. Most clients who purchased post-cruise stays in Luxor and the Red Sea are continuing with their holidays.
“Clients who were due to go to Cairo are either amending their itineraries and staying in Luxor or the Red Sea, or curtailing their stay in Egypt.”
Weekly departures to Luxor from Gatwick and Manchester will continue to be reviewed based on Foreign Office advice. Some clients, including a few that spent Friday at the airport because of the curfew, stayed at the Mena House Oberoi in Cairo and were not affected by the civil disturbances, according to the operator.
All Nile cruise excursions to the Temples of Karnak and Luxor also went ahead as scheduled. Discover Egypt maintained regular contact with its guides and many of its clients by mobile phone – updating travel arrangements.
In its London office, staff worked the whole weekend to maintain communication with clients both in Egypt and with those due to travel over the next few days.
Thomas Cook has cancelled all flights to Luxor due to leave on Wednesday (February 2) from Birmingham, Gatwick and Manchester following the advice from the FCO against all but essential travel to Luxor.
“Customers due to travel on these flights are being contacted and are able to amend their holiday to another destination or receive a full refund,” the operator said.
The return flights on February 2 from Luxor to the UK will operate as planned. Excursions from Red Sea resorts to Cairo up to and including Wednesday have been cancelled “as a precautionary measure”.
A Cook spokesman said: “We continue to monitor the situation in Egypt and we are in close contact with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
“Our experienced teams on the ground assure us that no tourist areas at the Red Sea have been affected in any way by the recent demonstrations.
“They are fully operational and holidaymakers are continuing to enjoy the popular resorts of Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada.”