The Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry allows tourists affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine to extend their stay at Egyptian hotels free of charge until it is safe to return home.

On Thursday, Ahram Online, Egypt's largest online news organization, reported that Egypt's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Khaled Anani, made this decision following the closing of Ukraine's airspace.

The Hotel Association of Egypt also issued a directive to all of its member hotels to extend the stays of Ukrainian and Russian tourists until Russian and Ukrainian airspace reopens, enabling them to return home safely.

Hotels were instructed to provide these stranded tourists with their resort's full amenities free of charge.

The South Sinai Hotels Chamber issued a statement to the general managers of hotels in Sharm El-Sheikh that implored them to extend the stays of Ukrainian tourists who had returned from the airport after having their flights canceled.

The chamber also told hotel management that they should provide stranded Ukrainians with whatever assistance they need and not let "any tourist leave any hotel."

The chamber's statement encouraged hotel management to be careful moderating potential confrontations between Ukrainian and Russian tourists.

The Ukrainian embassy in Egypt shared the Hotel Association of Egypt's directive and the South Sinai Hotels Chamber's statement on its official Facebook page and encouraged stranded Ukrainian tourists to present these documents to hotel management if necessary.

Prior to the Ministry's announcement, the Ukrainian embassy said that it was cooperating with officials in tourism and tour operators to help provide stranded Ukrainians with resources due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the temporary closure of Ukrainian airspace.

The embassy also said that it was working to find routes of entry into Ukraine through Poland, Slovakia, Romania, and Hungary so that the stranded Ukrainians can return home.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that due to the closure of Ukrainian airspace, Ukrainian citizens abroad should stay in place, closely follow events, and register in the ministry's digital communications system that connects Ukrainians with their embassies and consulates abroad.

The head of Egypt's National Company for Air Navigation, Ihab Mohi El-Din, said that on Thursday prior to Ukraine barring commercial flight from its airspace, Egyptian airports received hundreds of Ukrainian civilians from airports in Kiev and Lviv.

Egypt is one of the most popular tourist destinations for Ukrainians. In 2019, nearly 1.5 million Ukrainians visited and during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 over 700,000 Ukrainians vacationed in Egypt.