CAIRO: The number of people visiting Egypt fell 5.5 percent year-on-year in July, according to figures available on Monday, the third consecutive monthly drop since April bombings in a Red Sea resort. The figures released by Egypt s Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) show the number of tourists visiting Egypt fell to 794,000 in July, down from 840,000 in July 2005. Tourism is one of Egypt s key foreign currency earners, along with Suez Canal receipts, remittances from Egyptian expatriates and gas exports. On April 24, three bombs in the Sinai resort of Dahab killed 20 people. The bombings were the third attack on a Sinai resort frequented by foreigners, although the majority of victims were Egyptian. In July 2005 bombings in Sinai s Sharm El-Sheikh killed 67 people. Following is a table of the tourism figures, compiled from information on the CAPMAS Web site (www.capmas.gov.eg). Reuters
