Egypt’s tourism revenues recorded between $3.5bn and $4bn during the first half (H1) of 2021, Reuters has cited Ghada Shalaby, Deputy Minister for Tourism Affairs.
Shalaby also said that the country received about 3.5 million tourists between January and June.
The country’s revenues from its vital tourism sector stood at about $4bn in 2020, down 70% from the $13.03bn recorded in 2019, with the downturn driven by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Shalaby expects tourist numbers to increase in the coming period by between 45% and 60% compared to last year, forecasting that the average spending of a tourist per night will be about $95.
It is worth noting that Egypt’s tourism sector contributes about 15% of the country’s economic income, making it a major source of foreign exchange.
In March 2020, Egypt closed all hotels and closed down all international flights nationwide due to the COVID-19 crisis. Hotels were reopened to international tourists almost four months later, but at a maximum 25% of the capacity, which later increased to 50%.
