Egypt’s Minister of Tourism has said that the Egyptian tourism sector has lost more than 20 billion Egyptian pounds ($2.9 billion) over the past year. In a statement to local media, Hisham Zaazou blamed the political developments for the drop which has seen hotel occupancy rates fall by 85 per cent since mid-August. A number of states have warned their citizens about the dangers of travelling to Egypt.
According to Zaazou, the average amount spent by each tourist has decreased from $85 to $60 during the average stay in the country, which has also shortened from 14 to 7 nights.
The minister pointed out that he is asking the country’s leadership to cancel the curfew because it has a serious effect on tourism. “The curfew sends a negative message to the outside world that Egypt has concerns about security and Egyptian streets are not safe,” he added. “This restricts tourists’ ability to move around in cities.”