 | CAIRO: The number of tourists visiting Egypt increased by 15.3 percent in December 2014 compared to December 2013, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS,) Egypt’s official statistical agency.
In its monthly report for tourism statistics issued Wednesday, CAPMAS indicated that 786,100 tourists visited Egypt in December 2014, compared to 677,700 in the same time in 2013.
Egypt depends on tourism for around 20 percent of its hard currency. The sector’s total investments are valued at $9.8 billion, according to the Ministry of Tourism.
In December 2014, Eastern Europe was area sending the most tourists to Egypt with 39.1 percent, followed by Western Europe with 34 percent, and the Middle East by 14.9, said the report.
The number of tourists arriving from Arab countries during December 2014 reached 141,100, up from 100,800 in December 2013 and representing an increase of 39.9%, according to the report.
The total nights spent by tourists coming to Egypt amounted to 7.1 million in December 2014, compared to 5.1 million nights spent in December 2013 registering a total slump of 38.9 percent.
Egypt’s tourism sector, which represents 11 percent of the country’s GDP, has been suffering from ongoing shocks ever since the 2011 uprising that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak.
Revenues from the industry reached their peak in 2010, reaching US$12.5 billion, compared to only $5.9 billion in 2013.
Despite a few instances of apparent recovery, continuous instability, political turmoil and a lack of security have remained challenges to the sector. | | |