“Jordan, being further from regional unrest, remains at a Level 2 advisory, which is a common category for many regions globally,” said Dennis. As such, most tours throughout Jordan continue to operate as scheduled, and visitors can visit highlights such as the Dead Sea, the Wadi Rum desert, Petra, and the capital city of Amman.
The Jordanian Tourism Board told the Times of London in January that the country remains safe for international travel: “In light of the recent developments in Gaza, we want to emphasize that Jordan continues to be a safe and welcoming destination for tourists from around the world ,” the agency said in the statement. “Our commitment to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all visitors remains unwavering and we want to reassure everyone that Jordan’s borders are open to tourists.”
Should you travel to Egypt right now?
Egypt’s alert level from the State Department hasn’t changed since July 13, and remains at a “Level 3: Reconsider Travel.” Tourists should continue to avoid travel to the Sinai Peninsula, the land bordering Israel and Gaza and to the east of Cairo, as it is a “particularly dangerous area,” according to the department.
In a December 20 security reminder, the US Embassy in Cairo advised US travelers in Egypt to maintain situational awareness and personal security vigilance, exercise caution if unexpectedly in the vicinity of large gatherings or protests, and to keep a low profile.
Many group tours, like Red Savannah’s, which visit sites like the Great Pyramids of Giza, the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the Valley of the Kings, and Karnak Temple in Luxor, are continuing as normal. But even as many trips forge ahead, some operators are seeing significant cancellations. One firm in Egypt, Amisol Travel, has seen just 40 to 50% of its typical bookings from February and September 2024, according to the New York Times.
Nile River cruises are also continuing to operate as planned. The only changes at this time are cancellations of post-cruise land packages through Israel—most lines have removed these add-on tours for the near future.
“We continue to closely monitor the situation in Israel and Gaza and have canceled a select number of Jerusalem extensions for our Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary,” says a January 11 statement on Viking’s website. “All of our departures in Egypt are operating as scheduled. Our top priority is the safety and wellbeing of our guests, crew and partners on the ground.”
In recent months, AmaWaterways has made similar cancellations of extended land tours through Israel. “Guests with the post-cruise Israel package scheduled to depart on Secrets of Egypt & the Nile itinerary starting in Cairo up to and including June 21, 2024 will be refunded for the Israel land portion as well as the Cairo to Tel Aviv airfare,” the line said in an emailed statement. “There are no other changes to any other Egypt river cruise or associated land packages.”
Despite most Nile itineraries continuing as planned, lines are seeing an uptick in cancellations from passengers. “The impact has been pretty severe, quite honestly, for the first quarter of 2024,” Pamela Hoffee, president of Avalon Waterways, told Travel Weekly in early December. “Close to half of our guests canceled for the first quarter of 2024. The rest of the year has not been seen as much impact.”
Should you travel to Lebanon right now?
As of October 17, the US State Department has had a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” warning for Lebanon. The advisory was last updated on December 19 and recommends US citizens do not travel to the country “due to crime, terrorism, armed conflict, civil unrest, arrest, and Embassy Beirut’s limited capacity to provide support to US citizens.”