CAIRO - Lack of security in Egypt after the January 25 revolution has taken its toll on holidaymaking in a country that relies heavily on revenues from tourism. Egypt's tourism industry is losing $1 billion a month, according to the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE). Experts say it is only a matter of time before tourism figures come back to normal. Egypt attracted roughly 211,000 tourists in February, against 1.1 million in the same month last year, according to the State-run Central Agency for Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS). "Tourists seek security in the first place. Many areas here are not safe for locals after sunset. So how can we expect tourists to flow into Egypt," Essam Helmy, a tourist expert, told the Egyptian Mail in an interview. "Restoring security is a must and it may take time. Focus may be turned to certain destinations that can be easily secured. Resorts on South Sinai and the Red Sea are safe. Easter bookings are on the rise in these destinations," Helmy said. In 2010, Egypt netted $12.5 billion from tourism, compared to $11 billion a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Tourism. Tourism accounts for 11 per cent of Egypt's gross domestic product (GDP), and employs around 13 per cent of the country's workforce, according to CAPMAS. Experts estimate that every extra million tourists create 200,000 new jobs. Tourism agencies jumped to 2,000 in 2010 from 1,334 in 2006, according to the Ministry of Tourism. Last week, Minister of Tourism Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour said revenues from tourism may fall by 25 per cent this year. Egypt could net $9 billion from tourism in 2010, according to Abdel Nour. But global tourism as a whole is expected to grow in 2011 at "a slower pace", according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). The year 2010 was an extraordinary year, as a number of mega events, such as the World Cup in South Africa, the Shanghai Expo, the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver and the Commonwealth Games in India, boosted the holiday industry, according to UNWTO. The Madrid-based organisation predicts a steady rise in tourism arrivals to 1.6 billion by 2020. Against a backdrop of political unrest, how can local holidaymakers help? "Domestic travel may help. But international tourists contribute to foreign exchange and naturally they spend more. Local holidaymakers spend in the Egyptian pound. They don't add value to the national economy," Helmy explained. "Tourism in Egypt is not only Luxor and Aswan. Egypt now offers a package of therapeutic, recreational, beach, safari, conference, exhibition and religious tourism," he said, calling for focusing on new markets and products. Surfing upstream, this country is working on raising hotel capacity to more than 300,000 rooms, enough to serve the target of attracting 18 million tourists by 2015. Egypt is among the top 25 destinations worldwide, accounting for one per cent of the global market, according to the UNWTO. Tourists visiting Egypt stand at around 25 per cent of all tourism coming into the Middle East and 33 per cent of visitors to North Africa, according to UNWTO. UNWTO expects tourism to the Middle East to lead the regional forecasts with an increase of 7-10 per cent. Egypt may be regarded as an open museum, where cultural tourism has boomed over the past, due to its fabulous monuments. But it also boasts exquisite spots on the Red Sea like Hurghada, Ras Mohamed, Safaga and Sharm el-Sheikh. All these destinations attract millions of tourists for scuba diving and other recreational facilities. Safari trips have seen a boom over the last decade, as a host of destinations emerged on the country's tourism map. The Western Desert, Fayyoum Oasis, Sinai Desert, Mount Moses, St Catherine and many others add to Egypt's untapped treasures.
