Egypt eyes return to pre-uprising tourist numbers - minister

Travellers are now flocking to Egypt, says minister.

Travellers are now flocking to Egypt, says minister.

Published Mar 8, 2017

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The number of tourists visiting

Egypt this year could come close to levels seen before its 2011

uprising, encouraged by investments in airport security and a

cheaper Egyptian pound, the country's tourism minister said.

Egypt's tourism industry, a crucial source of hard currency,

has suffered in the years of turmoil that followed the mass

protests, as well as from the suspected bombing of a Russian

plane in Sinai in 2015, which killed all 224 people on board.

The number of tourists coming to Egypt's beaches and ancient

sites stood at 9.3 million in 2015, compared with more than 14.7

million in 2010, while receipts stood at $6.1 billion.

"I think if we are fortunate enough, this year we will come

very close. We are hoping to close the gap as we go on," Yehia

Rashed told Reuters ahead of the world's biggest travel trade

fair, ITB Berlin, which starts on Wednesday.

Rashed said on Tuesday he did not yet have any figures for

tourist arrivals in 2016. Tourism accounts for around 11 percent

of the country's economy.

In the first two months of 2017, the development of arrivals

was "very, very good", he said, adding receipts were also

improving as visitors spent more and stayed longer on average.

German market researcher GfK said last week that German

holidaymakers' bookings for trips to Egypt in the upcoming

summer season were up 91 percent from last year, but were still

23 percent below pre-uprising levels.

Egypt has been offering incentives to airlines such as

easyJet and Germany's Air Berlin and tour

operators such as TUI and Thomas Cook to bring

more tourists to the country.

In addition, some $50 million have been invested in airport

security in Egypt, with further upgrades still coming, which

Rashed said should encourage tourism.

Also, the devaluation of the Egyptian pound after Egypt's

central bank abandoned its currency peg to the U.S. dollar in

November is making it cheaper to spend holidays in the country.

"I think (the devaluation) is significantly important as

well. People want the best value for price paid," Rashed said.

Still, efforts by the Egyptian tourism sector to recover

have also been frustrated by a halt on flights to Egypt from

Russia following the attack on the Russian plane and a British

suspension of flights to the Red Sea resort of Sharm al-Sheikh.

Rashed said he was confident those travel restrictions would

be lifted eventually. 

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