www.middle-eastonline.com The number of tourist arrivals increases by 6% in 2005 despite string of deadly attacks in past 18 months.
The number of tourists who travelled to Egypt increased by six percent in 2005 despite a string of deadly attacks over the past 18 months, the top-selling state-owned daily Al-Ahram reported.
Quoting figures from the tourism ministry, the newspaper said the number of tourist arrivals reached 8.6 million, up from 8.1 million the previous year. Germany provided the most visitors with 979,000, ahead of Russia, Britain and Italy.
The strongest increase was recorded among British visitors, whose number rose 53 percent in 2005.
The number of Arab tourists grew by 13.8 percent to reach 1.7 million. The surge in tourist arrivals confirmed predictions that the industry would suffer little damage from an upsurge in attacks in Egypt, which boasts the pyramids of Giza, one of the wonders of the ancient world, and numerous holiday resorts on its Red Sea coasts.
According to the World Tourism Organisation, the world's top tourist destination in 2004 was France with 75 million arrivals.
With Suez canal receipts and gas and oil, tourism is one of Egypt's main sources of income. |