Surge of Chinese helps to steady Egypt's tourism
Updated: 2016-04-20 08:52
By Ahmed Shafiq(China Daily)
|
|||||||||
![]() |
[Photo provided to China Daily] |
"There is a 45 percent increase compared to the same period last year," he says.
Although many European countries stopped tourists from going into Egypt recently, he says, there are some European countries that have started sending tourists to Egypt.
"The numbers of tourists from Ukraine and Poland are growing. We have also started to attract tourists from India and Japan," Mahmoud says.
The peak of tourism in Egypt was in 2010, he says, as 14.7 million tourists visited the county, providing revenues of nearly $12.5 billion.
"But after the revolutions in 2011 and 2013, the number of tourists started to fell. By the end of 2015, the number of tourists stood at 12.2 million, providing around $6.2 billion," he says. His target this year is to attract 9 million tourists, but the government hopes to attract 20 million visitors by 2020.
Mahmoud believes that the sources of tourism must be diversified, noting that in the past Egypt has relied on four or five markets that brought in about 70 to 75 percent of its tourists.
"My message to everyone is that Egyptian airports are well secured, tourist areas are highly safe," he says.
- US presidential hopefuls battle for New York on eve of primaries
- AP, Reuters, New York Times among 2016 Pulitzer Prize winners
- US voters' anger over big money in politics mounts
- Japan quake survivors struggle with shortages
- Possible MH370 debris found in S. Africa being examined in Australia
- More cooperation among China, Russia, India in global affairs: Chinese FM
Reuters' Pulitzer-winning photos of migrant crisis in Europe
Young people invent bicycle wheel hub charger
Culture Insider: Five things you may not know about Grain Rain
Smart age makes a billionaire in six years
China's last steam locomotive is to disappear
British royal couple visits the Taj Mahal
The world in photos: April 11- April 17
PLA plane lands at Yongshu Jiao reef to help patients
Most Viewed
Editor's Picks
![]()
|
![]()
|
![]()
|
![]()
|
![]()
|
![]()
|
Today's Top News
Liang avoids jail in shooting death
China's finance minister addresses ratings downgrade
Duke alumni visit Chinese Embassy
Marriott unlikely to top Anbang offer for Starwood: Observers
Chinese biopharma debuts on Nasdaq
What ends Jeb Bush's White House hopes
Investigation for Nicolas's campaign
Will US-ASEAN meeting be good for region?
US Weekly
![]()
|
![]()
|