Egypt’s economic losses reach 70% as Nile tourism halted

A large number of workers in the Egypt’s Nile tourism sector have lost their jobs because of the halt in cruises in Luxor and Aswan, an NGO said yesterday.

According to data obtained by the Justice and Development Organisation for Human Rights, the halt in Nile cruises has led to huge economic losses, amounting to 70 per cent in the critical tourism sector in Luxor and Aswan. The losses are largely due to authorities’ failure to attract cruises to Upper Egypt governorates despite the overall calm in the security situation in the area, the NGO said in a report.

It added that halting Nile tourism has caused Nile hotels and ship owners to make massive losses. It has also lead to the total paralysis of hotel tourism in Luxor and Aswan.

The NGO called on Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism to develop an immediate plan to confront the economic losses in the sector and to utilise the Nile islands in the Upper Egypt governorates as tourist destinations.