Egypt tourists dropped 40 per cent in first quarter

12 April 2016

Russian jetliner crash underpin setback

The number of foreign tourists visiting Egypt in the first quarter of 2016 fell 40 per cent compared to the same period in the previous year.

The steep fall in the number of foreign tourists is attributed to the crash of a Russian jet in October 2015 shortly after taking off from the Sharm el-Sheikh airport, claiming the lives of 224 people on board. Islamic State claimed planting a bomb into the aircraft. The Russian government has since suspended all flights to Egypt, resulting in a 99 per cent fall in the number of nights Russian visitors spent in Egypt.

Nevertheless, the country is still aiming to increase the number of visitors next year, particularly from the Gulf countries, where a significant rise in visitor number has been noted, according to a report by London-based Reuters, citing new tourism minister Yehia Rashed.

Tourism contributes more than 12 per cent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and the long-term plan envisages doubling of tourists to 15 million by 2018 and to 30 million by 2020.

Rashed is optimistic that the number of tourists could return to growth in 2017 through a number of initiatives including increasing the presence of national carrier Egyptair abroad, working with low-cost airlines and the improvement of services.

Furthermore, the Egyptian government has commissioned UK security firm Control Risks, for a contract worth $700,000, to review and evaluate security processes in Egypt’s key airports in the wake of the Russian plane crash.

The main aviation operator in the country, the Egyptian Airports Company, has also set in motion a six-year, multimillion-dollar contract with Geneva-based air transport solutions provider Societe Internationale de Telecommunications Aeronautiques (Sita) to modernise five of its largest airports, Sharm el-Sheikh included, in 2015.

The number of foreign tourists visiting Egypt in the first quarter of 2016 fell 40 per cent compared to the previous year.

The steep fall in the number of foreign tourists is attributed to the crash of a Russian jet in October 2015 shortly after taking off from the Sharm el-Sheikh airport, claiming the lives of 224 people on board. Islamic State claimed planting a bomb into the aircraft. The Russian government has since suspended all flights to Egypt, resulting in a 99 per cent fall in the number of nights Russian visitors spent in Egypt.

A domestic Egyptair flight headed to Cairo from Alexandria was also recently hijacked by a local and diverted to Cyprus.

Nevertheless, the country is still aiming to increase the number of visitors next year, particularly from the Gulf countries, where a significant rise in visitor number has been noted, according to a report by London-based Reuters, citing new tourism minister Yehia Rashed.

Tourism contributes more than 12 per cent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and the long-term plan envisages doubling of tourists to 15 million by 2018 and to 30 million by 2020.

Rashed is optimistic that the number of tourists could return to growth in 2017 through a number of initiatives including increasing the presence of national carrier Egyptair abroad, working with low-cost airlines and the improvement of services.

Furthermore, the Egyptian government has commissioned UK security firm Control Risks, for a contract worth $700,000, to review and evaluate security processes in Egypt’s key airports in the wake of the Russian plane crash.

The main aviation operator in the country, the Egyptian Airports Company, has also set in motion a six-year, multimillion-dollar contract with Geneva-based air transport solutions provider Societe Internationale de Telecommunications Aeronautiques (Sita) to modernise five of its largest airports, Sharm el-Sheikh included, in 2015.

Egypt databank

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