São Paulo – Some 300,000 foreign travelers have been to Egypt since the country reopened for tourism last July, local daily Egypt Today reported quoting government numbers.
Egypt’s minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled el-Anani said this Monday (5) that the high number of visitors is proof that the country has succeeded in safely resuming tourism. “When they ask me, ‘What is the proof that your country is safe for tourists?’ I say that all 300,000 tourists returned their safely, without any infections of COVID-19,” Anani was quoted as saying.
The minister conceded that the administration did not expect such a strong influx of tourists amid the global pandemic. All travelers looking to enter Egypt are required to take a PCR test for Covid-19. According to El-Anani, this led to a 60% drop in daily tourist numbers, from 6,600 to 2,400, but numbers are going back to normal, he said, adding that the country welcomed some 3,000 tourists per day last week.
International flights to Egypt were suspended last March, when the coronavirus was officially declared a pandemic. By July, a gradual resumption of international tourism had begun. In the meantime, dozens of thousands of Egyptians were repatriated by EgyptAir and affiliate airlines. Airports across Egypt have put in place precautionary measures to ensure traveler safety.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
