Egyptian tourist resorts ready to receive Russian tourists, minister

Egyptian tourist resorts are ready to receive tourists from Russia and from all over the world, Minister of Tourism Khaled El-Anani said on Sunday amid Russian plans to resume flights to the Egyptian seaside resorts.

El-Anani said the Red Sea resorts witnessed a remarkable increase in tourist flows since they were reopened in July after a brief closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He added, during a meeting with the Russian Ambassador in Cairo Georgiy Borisenko earlier today, that the increase reflects the visitors’ trust in the safety of Egyptian tourist destinations thanks to the applied coronavirus precautions.

Borisenko, on his part, stressed that Egypt is an important destination for Russian people, who are fond of the ancient Egyptian civilization, as it is included in the Russian education curricula, according to a statement by the Egyptian tourism ministry.

Russia suspended direct flights to Red Sea resorts in Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh as well as other Egyptian airports following the crash of a Russian flight in Sinai in October of 2015.

The suspension decision has taken a heavy toll on Egypt’s tourism industry — a key source of hard currency — since Russian visitors were major contributors to the tourism market in the country before 2015.