Nile cruises navigate river of challenges

A correspondent in Egypt

Oct 9, 2020

This picture taken on March 9, 2020 shows a view of the "A Sara" Nile cruise ship moored off the river bank of Egypt's southern city of Luxor, where 45 suspected COVID-19 coronavirus disease cases were detected and evacuated two days prior. - Egypt on March 8 reported the country's -- and Africa's -- first fatality from the virus, a 60-year-old German tourist who died in a Red Sea resort in eastern Egypt. The following day, Egypt's health ministry said the total number of known cases had risen to 55. Scores — The Sara cruise ship is moored off the river bank of Egypt's southern city of Luxor, where 45 suspected coronavirus cases were detected and evacuated two days prior, March 9, 2020. — AFP via Getty Images

The cruise ship Amwaj (Wave) set sail Oct. 1 from Luxor to Aswan with a group of American, Swiss and British tourists on the very first trip on the Nile River since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and the shutdown of the tourism sector. The floating hotel was the first to obtain the required license from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to get back on track, following the announcement that cruises would be allowed to resume work bearing restrictions this month.

“For us, resuming the cruises for tourists has been like giving the kiss of life to a dying person,” Mohamed Rabie, manager of Amwaj, told Al-Monitor. “We are very honored to be the first cruise ship on the Nile to start operating. We do not have many guests on board yet, but for next week the numbers are increasing.”