CAIRO: According to the latest report from Egypt's Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), the number of tourists visiting Egypt in the last quarter of 2011 decreased by 29.2 percent, compared to the same period in 2010. The report said that 2.9 million people visited Egypt during that time, from all over the world, but it is a huge step backward, as 4.2 million visited during the same time in 2010. The transitional period the country is currently undergoing after a popular uprising toppled the former government of Hosni Mubarak and his aides, left the country in a state of uncertainty, especially with poor levels of security on the streets. CAPMAS affirmed that tourism from October to December was affected by the political turmoil of recent events in the country, notably the violent crackdown on protesters in and around Tahrir square. The report, which was published on Sunday, says tourism coming from Western Europe was effected the most with a decrease of 32.7 percent compared to the same time last year, while visitors from Eastern Europe decreased by 28.7 percent. However, Western Europe remains the main source of of tourism as it has sent 41.5 percent of all visitors during the last three months of 2011. Eastern Europe came in second with 33.8 percent of all visitors, followed by visitors from the Middle East and the region with 14.1 percent and finally African countries at four percent. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/8V7lZ Tags: CAPMAS, featured, Tourism, Travelers, Visitors Section: Egypt, Latest News, Travel
