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30-11-14

Egypt's tourist arrivals up 70 percent in Q3

(MENAFN) Egypt' tourism Ministry said that it has registered a modest recovery in its tourism industry, another positive sign that the country's economy is mending after years of struggles, Gulf News reported.

The Ministry said that tourist arrivals have registered an increase by 70 percent during the July-September period of this year compared to the same period last year, with arrivals in September alone increasing 193 percent compared with the same month in 2013.

This increase in tourist arrivals is attributed to European countries, mainly Italy, Belgium and Germany, the second-largest market for Egyptian tourism after Russia, lifting or at least easing permissions on visiting the country, which allowed travel agencies to begin marketing Egypt as a touristic destination after three years of unrest.

The Ministry said that the majority of the growth in visiting numbers has been in Cairo, with the city's hotel occupancy rates increasing between 10 and 20 percent last year to nearly 50 percent this year and expectations that the tourism sector will generate USD3.3 billion, or 1.2 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) over the next year.

"The overall sector has seen a remarkable recovery in the second half of 2014, especially during holiday seasons in the beach resorts. The forecasts for 2015 are promising as well." Vice-President of Egypt operations for Hilton Hotels, which owns 18 properties across the country, said.

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