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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 23 - 29 November 2000 Issue No.509 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 23 - 29 November 2000 Issue No.509
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Tourism increase
By Rehab SaadA report published by the Ministry of Tourism estimates that over 4 million tourists came to Egypt in the year ending last October, a 16.4 per cent increase on the same period last year.
Markets exporting tourists to Egypt in the period from January to October stood as follows: Italy topped the list with 657,216 tourists; Germany came in the second position with 640,295; France was third with 318,886; Israelis totalled 318,728; British 308,187; Saudi Arabians 216,653; the Benelux countries 206,446; Americans 194,648; Palestinians 124,261, and Russia and the independent commonwealth countries 138,826.
Although the Palestinian uprising in the occupied territories does not seem to be having an effect on the overall number of tourists visiting Egypt, last October did witness a decline in the numbers coming in through the Rafah and Taba entry points from Jordan and Israel. Their numbers were down by almost one quarter.
According to the report, from January to October 318,728 million Israeli tourists visited Egypt, almost 15 per cent less compared to last year.
Hotels in the Taba-Nuweiba area of the Gulf of Aqaba registered correspondingly large drops in occupance.
Arab tourists, too, came in fewer numbers, chiefly because of cheaper packages offered to South-East Asian countries, and even the US. Exacerbating this situation was the absence of any Egyptian tourist offices or promotional efforts in other Arab countries.
In October there was a dramatic drop in tourists coming from the Gulf. Qatari tourists dropped 38.9 per cent, those from the United Arab Emirates by 33.6 per cent, from Bahrain by 19.5 per cent and from Kuwait by 15.8 per cent. Saudi Arabia topped the list of the Arab countries whose citizens visit Egypt -- some 216,653 in total -- although even this represents a drop of 3 per cent over the same period last year.
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