As War Restrain Russian Tourists, Egypt Turns to Latin America & Asia

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

From Latin America and Asia, Egypt is all geared up to draw maximum visitors while introducing new international flights to a main resort as it restricts the damage to its tourism industry from the invasion of Russia in Ukraine.
The war jeopardizing the flow of tourists from Russia and Ukraine which made up 30%-40% of Egypt’s total, the Deputy Tourism Minister, Ghada Shalaby, and other authorities are also looking for ways to increase the pace of the return of Europeans who mostly stayed away during COVID.

“Expectations for Egyptian tourism in 2022 are not higher than last year,” she said, declining to give projections. In the second half of 2021, the North African nation’s tourism revenue was $5.8 billion. As per central bank data, it was an up from $1.8 billion for the same time 2020.

Commotion in Egyptian tourism would increase the economic pressures for the most crowded country of the Arab world, which is fighting hard with food and energy price high due to the conflict and has requested for help to the International Monetary Fund. Along with Suez Canal receipts and remittances, tourism has traditionally been one of the prime foreign-currency earners for Egypt.

From Gulf nations, new international flights to the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh could boost the sector as well, Shalaby mentioned recently. Sunday witnessed Sun d’Or, a subsidiary of national carrier El Al, make its first flight from Tel Aviv to the city on Egypt’s Sinai peninsula.

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