CAIRO: Egypt said the number of visitors to the country fell 15 percent in August compared to the same time last year, a drop analysts said was short-term following bombings at the resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in July.
The central bank said 743,000 people visited Egypt in August 2005, compared to 877,000 in August 2004.The total number of visitors in July was 840,000.
Visitors stayed a total of 10.92 million nights in August, down from 12.1 million in August 2004, but up from 7.91 million in July, the bank said on its website (www.cbe.org.eg).
“This (drop) is a direct result of the bombing attacks in July, one senior Egypt-based economist said.
Tourists increasingly regarded bomb attacks as a global problem and were expected to return, he added.
“We expect that by the beginning of next year it will get back to normal, he added.
Egypt’s other main sources of foreign income include Suez Canal receipts, remittances from Egyptian expatriates and gas exports. Reuters
