Britain, Italy, Sweden and Germany have lifted a ban on travelling to Egypt, Minister of Tourism Mounir Abdel-Nour told the official Middle East News Agency (MENA) Tuesday. "Russia will lift the ban on travelling to Egypt soon," Abdel-Nour added hours before leaving for Berlin to take part in its International Tourism Bourse (ITB), which is scheduled to open today and wrap up on March 13. Around 2 million tourists from Russia visited Egypt in 2010, according to official reports. Abdel-Nour said Egypt would offer incentives to attract tourists, adding that the Ministry has asked hotels to lower their rates to boost domestic tourism. "[In Berlin] we will meet with international travel agents to lay down joint investment schemes," he stressed. Last week, the German travel association DRV said tourists were returning "quickly to Egypt and Tunisia" after the uprisings there. The two countries are a popular destination for Germans, who spent more than any other nation on holidays abroad in 2010, said the DRV, whose President, Juergen Buechy, explained that the unrest will have a short-term effect on travel there, while bookings are already "significantly" improving.
