Germany is aware that tourism is a vital pillar of the Egyptian economy, and the European nation is working to restore visitor numbers to former levels, German Ambassador to Egypt Julius George Luy said in a press conference on 1 December.
To this end, German experts are examining the security situation in Egypt’s airports and tourist sites and passing their analysis to the German government. The two governments are in talks aimed at strengthening the security situation in Egypt so that Germany can confidently recommend its citizens to visit Egypt.
After the Russian plane crash in October, the number of German tourists to Hurghada decreased, amounting to only 20,000 tourists. Germany had previously advised that luggage and passengers be flown on separate planes, while some airlines suspended flights to certain destinations in Egypt.
Lufthansa previously announced that it would halt flights to Hurghada until further notice, a decision that impacted Eurowings’ weekly flights departing from the German city of Cologne.
After Russia and the UK, Germany is the third biggest contributor of tourists to Hurghada, since the resort town is listed among the main touristic destinations for German charter flights. German tourist spending in Egypt is considered among the highest of all visiting nations.
EgyptAir and Lufthansa are not the only airlines that operate direct flights from Germany to Egypt. The low-cost airlines Germanwings and Eurowings also have direct flights.
