Egypt Tourism Sector Suffers
The Egyptian economy has slowed dramatically, as protests and strikes hamper businesses and the stock market remains shut
. The investment bank EFG-Hermes, based in Cairo, predicted a 3 per cent reduction in Egypt's GDP this year, down from its previous forecast of 6 per cent, immediately after the uprising.
The effect of the troubles on tourism can be readily be seen in the alleyways of the Khan al Khalili, Cairo's most famous souq. Just a smattering of tourists have been trickling through in recent weeks, a stark contrast to the barrage of tour buses that usually unload thousands of visitors on an average weekend.
At Fishawi Coffee shop, nestled inside the market, business has plummeted, says Ashraf el Fishawi, the owner. On an average day, he now sees 10 or so tourists come to have a drink and shisha, compared with an average of 500 visitors in early January. He has had to cut his staff by half to 10.
"Every day we had tourists from Italy, Spain, France, all the world," he says. "Now, it's very little."
Just around the corner from Fishawi, the manager of a little trinket store says he hasn't seen tourism drop so sharply since the Luxor massacre in November 1997 when 62 people were killed by Islamic militants. "I haven't sold anything in weeks," says Muharram Mahmoud, 28, from Aswan. Meanwhile, hotel occupancy rates have dropped to the single digits - especially in the seaside resort of Sharm el Sheikh. for more info:
Safaga portPurveyors of cheap papyrus paintings and trinkets have despaired as sales have plummeted.
But some visitors have decided to travel anyway, ignoring their governments' warnings about safety. Sam Minot, 24, and Kirsten von der Veen, 25 - both graduate students at the University of Pennsylvania - arrived this week for a 10-day trip to Cairo and surrounding areas. "It's been great," said Ms von der Veen, whose brother lives in Cairo. "We were at the pyramids today, there was no one else there."
The Egyptian government, for its part, is trying hard to restore the image of the country abroad. Mr Nour is travelling to Berlin and Russia this week to attend tourism events and spread the message that the country is ready to receive tourists again.
Russia is expected to remove its recommendation not to travel to Egypt within a few days, he said.
"We are trying to launch some incentive packages for chartered tours," Mr Nour said. "We are waiving some airport fees or reducing airport fees for charters, as well as giving some guarantees or break-even points for covering the charter costs." The situation may be grim, but there is one new attraction in Egypt that could offset the losses: people-power tourism.
"There's an added reason to visit Egypt: to see those beautiful people who have inspired the world with their peaceful revolution," Mr Nour said. published by
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