But will recent instability in Sinai mark a downturn?
CAIRO: Thanks to a period of relative stability and an aggressive, multi-million dollar marketing campaign, Egypt attracted a record number of international tourists in October, The Daily Star Egypt has learned.
More than 850,000 tourists flocked to Egypt – a 20 percent increase from September.
The numbers are an encouraging sign that the Egyptian tourism industry has recovered from the deadly attacks which rocked the Sinai beach retreats of Dahab, Taba and Sharm el Sheik, according to analysts.
“The numbers are picking up, says Hala El Khatib, a spokeswoman with the tourism ministry.
Some of the biggest increases came from Israel and Poland, where numbers spiked by 78 percent and 55 percent respectively, according to the ministry.
Khatib says “Last October, the situation wasn’t as good, this year things are smooth.
The optimism could be short lived, however.
Earlier this week, the Israeli government issued a travel advisory which advocated that all Israeli tourists should avoid traveling to Egypt for safety reasons.
The advisory was issued after the Israeli media reported that four Palestinian fugitives were on the loose in Sinai and could be planning attacks against Israeli tourists in the region.
“Every government is responsible for its citizens [and] in Sinai, there is a problem, says Amira Rona, a spokeswoman with the Israeli Foreign Ministry
“Even the Egyptians are tackling this problem and are struggling to catch people from Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups who are trying to harm international terrorism.
Nonetheless, the Egyptian tourism industry will continue to flourish, says Hisham Zaazou, director general of the Egyptian Tourism Federation.
“The numbers will go down again, but this isn’t the first time the Israeli government has issued warnings, he tells The Daily Star Egypt.
“The Israeli government is taking precautionary measures – they’re afraid, he adds.
Still, Zaazou says that the influx of travelers from other countries will help offset the drop.
During the period of January to October, more than 1 million English tourists came to Egypt. And in October, travel from Canada increased by 46 percent.
Part of the strategy includes offering incentives for international tour operators who continue their trips here even if full capacity isn’t reached.
“If you have a drop in numbers, we tell them we’ll give them an incentive for the empty seats, says Zaazou.
Plus, the ministry is using the campaign to advertise lesser-known destinations like Alexandria and the Mediterranean coast, which have been popular local getaways for years but are only now realizing their international potential.
“Instead of just having Egyptians coming, we’ve had Germans and Italians, says Zaazou.
“We have more products that we’re selling in the international market.
Dubbed “The Gift of the Sun, the ministry’s campaign hopes to pump up the annual number of visitors to 16 million by 2014.
Last year, 8.6 million traveled to Egypt.
