A number of investors in the tourism sector have advocated facilitating visa procedures for Chinese tourists to offset the decline in European tourism, pointing to the current economic crisis and the strength of Chinese currency. Magdy Haneen, Chairman of the Egyptian-British Tourism Committee Chamber and a member of the Chamber of Hotels, said that during a marketing trip to China he discovered that Chinese tour operators want to promote visits to Egypt. Chinese tour operators expressed a willingness to enter the Egyptian market, intending to purchase of nine large passenger planes that can each accommodate more than 500 passengers, provided that Egyptian authorities facilitate the visa acquisition process. Chinese tourists must wait for more than three weeks to get permission from their government to travel to Egypt, and then they must apply for a visa from the Egyptian Embassy. Haneen said the Egyptian tourism industry must take advantage of China's promising tourism markets to offset the decline in revenue from other more traditional markets that are suffering in the tough global economic climate. Haneen pointed out that the Chinese economy is currently one of the strongest economies in the world, ranking second after the United States. Haneen also called on relevant government agencies to facilitate Indian tourism.
