Approximately 200,000 Israelis head to Sinai, Egypt over the Passover holiday

The Israel Airports Authority have estimated that almost 200,000 Israelis will make their way to the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt over the Passover holiday.

IAA spokesperson Ofer Lefler told Israel’s Army Radio on Sunday that the number of Israeli holiday-goers heading to Egypt is “unprecedented.”

More than 2.2 million people are expected to go through Israeli airports in April, at a time when Ben-Gurion International Airport is already at maximum capacity. Nearly 80,000 people on average pass through Israel's main airport every day during the holiday.

The influx of Israelis into Egypt has caused taxi drivers, restaurants and companies that sell SIM cards for mobile phones to ask to be paid in shekels, the Israeli currency, according to Israeli vacationers. This is potentially due to the collapse of the Egyptian pound, as Egypt continues to experience worsening economic conditions.

Visiting Israelis say that the demand to be paid in shekels means that Egyptian providers of all kinds of tourist services have raised their prices.

According to Israelis who regularly visit Sinai, prices for some services have gone up by nearly 100%.