Thousands of Kenyans every year board a plane to visit some of the religious sites in Egypt and Israel as part of understanding of the Christian faith.
However, the pilgrimage is under threat this year due to the ongoing protests in the land of Canaan.
Tour operators are now rethinking visits organised early this year as they watch demonstrators take to the streets and reports of tourists fleeing the country emerge.
Travellers had initially paid their fees from as early as November 2010 for the pilgrimage.
The pilgrimage to Egypt has gained popularity in Kenya over the past few years with agencies organising trips in partnership with local churches.
By selling packages in groups, the prices are lower due to the numbers and shared costs.
“The demand is overwhelming, sometimes we have to do an extra group trip to accommodate the demand,” said Ms Kirimi who has been organising the religious tours since 2009, but individual trips to Egypt since 2004.
The ongoing protests in Egypt, the most populous country in the Arab world, have seen other international tour operators and airlines cancel trips to the country with some governments advising their citizens against travelling to the country unless it is important.
The revolution protests have hit countries like Tunisia then Egypt with similar chaos witnessed in Saana in Yemen, demonstrations that have forced tourists to cancel trips too.
Egypt relies heavily on the tourism sector to drive economic growth.
Tourism is one of Egypt’s top sources of foreign revenue, accounting for more than 11 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), and offers jobs in a country with high unemployment.
In 2009, about 12.5 million tourists visited Egypt, bringing revenue of $10.8 billion (Sh864 billion).
Mass protests have raged in Egyptian cities in the past few days against President Hosni Mubarak’s 30 year rule. The protests have crippled major operations in the country leading to companies, banks and shops remaining closed.
In Egypt, the travellers get to enjoy the Egyptian Museum, the famous Egyptian pyramids and a cruise on River Nile, for the longer trips.
They also cross Sinai desert where an early morning climb to the summit of Mt Sinai is part of the trip before crossing to Jerusalem.
Across the border in Jerusalem travellers visit Qumran caves where the Dead Sea scrolls were found and drive via the Good Samaritan’s Inn – the route associated with the good Samaritan in the bible.
One of the most popular sites during the tour is the ‘burning bush’ associated with Moses in the bible; here people are known to slip their prayer requests.
EgyptAir, the national carrier, cancelled about 100 of its nearly 150 scheduled international flights and halted its service.
The carrier has been cancelling about 75 per cent of its flights because crew are either unable to make it because of curfews, or are too worried about leaving their families.
