Egypt reports over 5 million tourists already in 2012 ‎

Bikya Masr
Egypt’s tourism ministry reported that the country received more than five million tourists into the country through the first part of 2012 and expects the total number to visit Egypt over the year to pass the 12 million mark.

If attained, that would be a 23 percent increase over the previous year, Tourism Minister Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour told reporters at a press conference.

The positive report comes as the tourism industry has been hit hard by the initial January 2011 uprising that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak and the subsequent political violence in the country over the past 17 months.

Fears still exist in the country, and especially among the tourist industry that new President Mohamed Morsi would implement a new strict Islamic policy on the country’s beaches – banning bikinis and alcohol – but Abdel Nour said he doesn’t believe any leader would do so.

The Muslim Brotherhood, of which Morsi came out of, has said it has no plans to do so in the future.

Abdel Nour said at a press conference in Cairo that Egypt received 5,242,652 tourists during the first 6 months of 2012, a 27 percent rise on the same period of 2011.

He noted a significant rise in tourist arrivals from Russia, Poland and Germany in particular.

“I expect that the second half of the year will witness great recovery in tourism,” Abdel Nour said, citing among other factors new initiatives by the ministry to boost ecotourism.

“I expect that Egypt will be able, without much effort, to receive more than 12 million tourists by the end of the year,” he told the conference.

EGYPT NEWS