|
Egypt Holidays > Travel News > Egypt is still cheap enough to draw tourists
Egypt is still cheap enough to draw tourists | | 6th September 2008 |
SOME European destinations are facing falling tourist revenues, but Egypt seems to be benefiting as an alternate and cheaper destination.
The number of people visiting Egypt increased by more than 25 per cent in the financial year 2007/8, compared with the previous year, tourism minister Mr Zoheir Garrana said.
He declined to give absolute figures but monthly statistics show that Egypt had about 9.8 million visitors in the financial year 2006/7.
The number of nights tourists spent in Egypt and the amount of tourist revenue reaching the country increased 32 per cent in the year, which ended in June, the minister added.
He said: 'We anticipate a slowdown but as long as we are within the budget that potential travellers have, I think we will continue to have the growth we have witnessed in the past three years.'
Egypt is a relatively cheap tourist destination, but Mr Garrana said that a combination of high inflation and a stable Egyptian pound could pose problems in the future.
'Definitely, cost has become a big factor in how people are coping and calculating their selling prices.
'If we increase the prices above a certain figure, it can have a negative impact on the flow of the industry,' he said.
Tourism employs directly or indirectly about 13 per cent of the workforce.
The government estimates that every extra million tourists create 200,000 new jobs. |
|
|
