Egypt tourist numbers up 4 pct in June

The number of tourists visiting Egypt increased by over four percent in June compared to the same period of the previous year, according to the latest official figures issued Wednesday.

The number of tourists arriving in Egypt reached 820,000 in June, up from 786,000 in June 2014, state statistics body CAPMAS announced in a press statement.

Tourism is one of the main sources of foreign currency for Egypt, which relies heavily on imports of basic foodstuffs such as wheat, bringing in $7.5 billion in revenues in 2014.

Almost half of the incoming tourists in June were from Eastern Europe, of which 68 percent were from Russia, with 31 percent of all tourists from Western Europe, while 13.4 percent came from Middle Eastern countries, said CAPMAS.

The tourism sector, which employs one in seven Egyptians, was dealt a series of blows by political turmoil following Egypt’s 2011 revolution that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Foreign currency reserves, which stood at $36 billion before the uprising, fell sharply to  $13.4 in 2013 recovering to $18.5 billion last month due to influx of Arab Gulf aid.

The average number of nights spent by departing tourists was nine and a half in June 2015, compared to nine in the same period of the previous year.

Egypt received over 14.7 million tourists in 2010.

Source: Ahram Online