CAIRO: Egypt's Minister of Tourism Hisham Zaazou reported that the country saw an increase of 17 percent the number of tourists during 2012 and a 13 percent income increase from the visitors. Still, the announcement comes as fears continue that the tourism sector is not back at 100 percent since the January 2011 uprising and near monthly violent clashes in the country. He did say that the statistics show that the sector is recovering after nearly two years of downturn as foreigners looked elsewhere for their travels. Reuters news agency reported that 11.5 million tourists arrived in Egypt in 2012, generating some $9.9 billion. Despite the solid showing, that is still three million visitors shy of the pre-revolution figures of 2012. The minister said he was pleased with the numbers, which will provide some support for Egypt's economy currently struggling to recover from the impact of the uprising and is seeking a lifeline from the International Monetary Fund. Adding to the worries has been the rise of the Islamists and the Muslim Brotherhood in the country. Tourism had accounted for some 10 percent of the country's economy. The Brotherhood's political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) told Bikyanews.com in a statement in June that they “hope to build a new united Egypt" and have “no plans to affect the current situation" when it comes to tourism. Still, worries abound, among both Egyptians and foreigners, over what the future for Egypt will bring. BN
