Egypt tourists to exceed 11 million with USD10bn in revenue this year

Tourism in Egypt is one of the most significant national income sources; in 2008, it accounted for 19 percent of Egypt's gross national income (GNI), contributing USD11 billion to income in that year. The tourism sector was seriously affected by the events of the January revolution and its aftermath, particularly by the prohibition imposed by several countries on flights to Egypt and by the flight of tourists from rumored security instability. However, the revolutionary government has not deferred its efforts to revive the tourism sector.

We met Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour, the Egyptian Minister of Tourism who has introduced new ideas and started local and international campaigns to attract tourists from all over the world, in an interview about the reality and future of tourism in Egypt after the January revolution.

How do you picture tourism in Egypt eight months after the January revolution and its painful blows to the sector?

Tourism in Egypt has started to recover after the crisis following the January 25th revolution, even though this recovery was slower than expected due to some events that have hindered the Ministry's activation plans. The number of tourists decreased by 80 percent after the revolution, reaching a low point last August, and will continue to decline through the end of this year. We expect that the number of tourists will increase to reach last year's level by next February and will continue to improve after that. The return of tourists from countries like Russia, Ukraine, Italy, and other European and Arab countries is a good indicator that the power of tourism in Egypt is returning. The decline rate reached 28 percent last June, which means there is some progress in the improvement of the tourism sector and some interest in Egyptian destinations from tourists from all over the world. The number of tourists coming to Egypt will reach 30 million within the next five years, thanks to investments in the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea regions.

There are some international campaigns to promote tourism in Egypt. What is the nature of these campaigns, and which countries do they target?

The public relations and advertising campaigns were launched in full swing with the Ministry's efforts and coordination, both internally and externally, as I started to participate in international conferences to promote Egypt and its history and security stability. The World Tourism Conference was held last week in Aswan; the World Tourism Organization selected Egypt to celebrate World Tourism Day as a show of solidarity and participation in the country's efforts to restore its tourism sector to its former position. The conference was attended by several international tourism organizations and ambassadors from various countries, and I stressed the importance of Egypt's position on the global tourist map.

I also attended the Conference of Arab Tourism Ministers held in Jordan, at which Egypt was strongly represented. I will go on a trip this week to Berlin to meet the representatives of international airlines in order to discuss ways of providing better and faster flights to Egypt; I want to motivate these companies to increase their flights to all the touristic cities of Egypt.

The public relations and activation campaigns launched for the benefit of Egyptian tourism are of great importance in restoring the tourism sector and its former outstanding rates.

There are many different ways through which we can implement these campaigns in order to reach the desired target, due to the significant importance of Egyptian tourism and its special position in the world.

We must not forget the advertising campaigns on world channels and newspapers and the invitations from famous press officers and media people to visit Egypt and promote its tourism.