After reopening at a quarter of regular capacity in a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19, Egyptian hotels are almost fully booked for domestic tourism, coinciding with the peak season of Eid Al Fitr holiday, Reuters reports.

Around 78 hotels, mostly along the Red Sea coast, met the government-dictated safety guidelines and are currently operating with an occupancy rate of 20-22%, a tourism ministry official told Reuters on May 31.

Additionally, 173 others are bidding to resume operations and have applied for a license that certifies that qualified establishments are strictly clean and safe to ease Coronavirus fears, he added, noting that applications will be considered in the coming week.

In March, Egypt suspended international flights and shut down tourism, hospitality, and entertainment industries, in a bid to combat the novel COVID-19 crisis.

Since May 15, the government eased restrictions and allowed staycations in hotels with limited capacity, allowing airports to open to domestic and repatriation flights. The two-week period is to test the waters only; if everything goes smoothly, hotel occupancy will be lifted to 50% starting from June 1.

Click here to know more about the Egyptian government’s recently-released health and safety guidelines for hospitality establishments!