Egypt's January-June tourism revenues were $3.5bn

Camels used to give tourist rides in the Old Market district on April 3, 2016 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt [Chris McGrath/Getty Images]

Egypt’s tourism revenues were between $3.5 billion to $4 billion during the first half of 2021 and the country received about 3.5 million tourists from January to June, Ghada Shalaby, deputy minister of tourism, told Reuters.

The country’s revenues from the vital sector were about $4 billion in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic, down by 70% from $13.03 billion in 2019.

“We are expecting that numbers of tourists will increase by 45% to 60% during the next period compared with last year,” Shalaby said.

The average spending of a tourist per night is about $95, she added.

Tourism revenue is an important source of foreign currency for Egypt and the industry usually accounts for up to 15% of the country’s gross domestic product.

READ: Egypt economy loses $23.6bn in 2020

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