Update: On March 5, Viking said it would reinstate Nile cruises beginning with its March 12 departures.
Viking canceled its Nile River cruises through the end of March as war rages on between the U.S. and Israel and Iran.
Other river cruise lines have been pulling back in the region. Avalon Waterways also ceased its Egypt operations for the month. It operates one ship there, the Farah.
Tauck suspended its land tours, including river cruise segments, to Egypt. Its Egypt: Jewels of the Nile itinerary is slated to resume after March 15, while its Jordan & Egypt: Petra to the Pyramids tour is paused for March.
AmaWaterways said Tuesday that it had suspended its Jordan land extension and Dubai programs through March 31.
But the company will continue its March river cruises as scheduled. Guests currently in Egypt expressed a strong desire to continue their cruise, the company said. Any guest scheduled for a March cruise that wants to rebook may do so without penalty.
The move comes as tour operators cancel or pause tours in the Middle East as the conflict escalated.
Egypt at Level 2
Egypt was among the countries that by the U.S. State Department said
Americans should leave, according to a post on X March 2 by the department's assistant secretary for consular affairs, along with the United Arab Emirates, Israel,
Jordan and Kuwait.
However, the department did not raise the overall security alert level for Egypt, which still stands at Level 2. "Egypt remains at Level 2 reflecting that our overall assessment of the security situation there has not changed at this time," the Department of State Consular Affairs said on X.
The U.S. Embassy in Cairo said in a March 4 statement that it is "operating normally", and it reiterated that the U.S. had not raised the security level for the country overall, although the Northern and Middle Sinai as well as parts of the Western Desert are under Level 4 "do not travel" guidance.
Egypt's tourism grew 20% last year, even amid the Gaza war. But the
country had sharpened its focus this year on the U.S. trade as it
attempted to recover its tourism even more.
Viking's growth in Egypt
Viking currently has travelers in Egypt and said it was arranging their transportation out of the country.
The company's Egypt fleet makes up just 2% of its overall capacity, but it has been growing the market; by next year, it has said, it hopes to have a dozen ships on the river.
Updated: This report was updated to include additional information about Egypt's security level from the U.S. State Department, which remains at Level 2.
This report was updated to include Viking's decision to reinstate March cruises.