China recorded 95,000 tourist arrivals through the end of last October
By Akram Medhat - Journalist at Travel Yalla
Minister of Tourism Hisham Zaazou affirmed that the efforts of the Ministry of Tourism and the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the relevant authorities, are continuing to improve Egypt's image, stressing the need to convey the true picture of what is happening in Egypt to their peoples.
This came during the minister's meeting with a number of Asian ambassadors accredited to Egypt, at the invitation of the Egyptian Tourism Federation, in the presence of Elhamy El-Zayat, chairman of the federation, members of the federation's board of directors and the heads of the tourism chambers.
The minister reviewed indicators of inbound tourism to Egypt from Asian countries and the importance of those countries as promising markets for the Egyptian tourist destination, noting that the period from January to October of this year saw significant growth in inbound tourism from China, Japan and India. The number of tourists arriving in Egypt from China reached about 95,000, compared with about 48,000 in the same period of 2014; the number of Japanese tourists reached 13,613, compared with 9,701 in the same period last year; and the number of Indian tourists reached 63,190, compared with 48,670 in the same period last year.
Zaazou also outlined the ministry's plan of action to confront the repercussions of the current situation, noting that contacts are continuing with the major tourism-source countries in order to resume flights to Sharm El-Sheikh. He added that the Egyptian authorities welcome additional measures and arrangements to reinforce reassurance and send positive messages about the Egyptian tourist destination, as well as requests by some airlines for additional security measures on their flights within the framework of Egyptian law and the governing international laws, noting that the Egyptian authorities' understanding of those requests sends a message of reassurance to foreign companies and the tourism sector and reflects the ability of Egyptian airports and authorities to respond quickly to any measures, and affirming the commitment of Egyptian airports to applying international legislation in the field of aviation security.
The minister stressed the Egyptian authorities' keenness to uphold the principle of transparency in revealing the results of the investigations into the Russian plane crash as soon as they emerge.
The Egyptian Tourism Federation had invited the ambassadors of China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Pakistan.
