Egypt hopes to witness a strong recovery in its tourism sector in 2012 by improving services and infrastructure while attracting visitors from more diverse parts of the globe, Fakhry Abdel-Nour, Tourism Minister of Egypt said. Abdel-Nour said that he is confident about the revival of Egypt's tourism sector, as it still has strong competitive advantages and the domestic political situation is improving.
To reach the goal of reviving the industry and to attract a total of 30 million tourists within five years, diversifying markets is the top priority, he said. "While we secure the traditional markets in European countries and the US, a large proportion of the growth will rely on new markets in Asia and Latin America, including China, India and Brazil," he said. In 2011, more than 1.8 million Russian tourists visited Egypt, followed by those from the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy. While continuing to improve the level of related infrastructure and services, several promotional campaigns have been tailor-made to attract potential tourists from different countries, he added. "For instance Egypt alone may not be the only destination for a guest from a remote place like China, so we are planning a joint marketing program with the Greek and Turkish tourism ministries to attract more tourists from China, connecting three of the oldest civilizations on Earth," he said. He also said the country will soon re-launch a long-distance River Nile cruise from Cairo to Luxor and Aswan, which has been suspended for more then two decades. As security remains the biggest concern for foreign tourists travelling to Egypt, he said various government agencies were working together to guarantee their safety. "Whoever will be the president and whatever the new government will be, the country can't do without revenue from the tourism industry," he said, adding that every 1 million increase in tourist numbers would create 200,000 new jobs in Egypt.
Click here to see the original article>To reach the goal of reviving the industry and to attract a total of 30 million tourists within five years, diversifying markets is the top priority, he said. "While we secure the traditional markets in European countries and the US, a large proportion of the growth will rely on new markets in Asia and Latin America, including China, India and Brazil," he said. In 2011, more than 1.8 million Russian tourists visited Egypt, followed by those from the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy. While continuing to improve the level of related infrastructure and services, several promotional campaigns have been tailor-made to attract potential tourists from different countries, he added. "For instance Egypt alone may not be the only destination for a guest from a remote place like China, so we are planning a joint marketing program with the Greek and Turkish tourism ministries to attract more tourists from China, connecting three of the oldest civilizations on Earth," he said. He also said the country will soon re-launch a long-distance River Nile cruise from Cairo to Luxor and Aswan, which has been suspended for more then two decades. As security remains the biggest concern for foreign tourists travelling to Egypt, he said various government agencies were working together to guarantee their safety. "Whoever will be the president and whatever the new government will be, the country can't do without revenue from the tourism industry," he said, adding that every 1 million increase in tourist numbers would create 200,000 new jobs in Egypt.