Egypt is witnessing a tourism boom thanks to the success of the tourism promotion campaign in the Arab market, which was launched in Ramadan along with domestic tourism which registered unprecedented rates during Eidul Fitr (Lesser Bairam), said Tourism Minister Khaled Ramy.

In an exclusive interview to MENA, the first since he took up his post as tourism minister, Ramy said that Egypt's tourism witnessed a boom during the first half of the current year, with an increase of 8.2% if compared to the same period last year.

He also said that this increase is good taking into consideration the incidents which took place in Tunisia and Poland's decision to issue a travel warning to Egypt.

The aviation movement from Poland went down and tireless efforts are being exerted to reconsider the decision within a month with a number of Polish officials, he added.

The Egyptian media tackled the incidents in a negative way, especially those which took place in North Sinai, he said.

Media outlets should be cautious in transferring information, he went on to say.

The minister, meanwhile, said that supporting charter flights in Marsa Alam, Luxor, Aswan and Taba is continuing.

Aviation to Luxor from London, Paris, Amsterdam and Dusseldorf continues, he said, adding that a number of aviation companies are keen on increasing the number of flights to Luxor.

He also said that the Tourism Ministry launched "Egypt in our Hearts" initiative which provides discounted prices on flights within Egypt, as well as tour packages and Nile cruises, under the title "Luxor and Aswan in our Hearts" in order to encourage domestic travel.

The Arab tourism to Egypt went up by 15% during the first half of the current year, he noted.

The opening of the New Suez Canal will have a positive effect on tourism, he said, adding that the economic conference which was held in Sharm el Sheikh in March contributed to boosting tourism in Egypt.

The minister further said that the new environment law will contribute to developing the tourism system in Egypt within the upcoming period.

There is great cooperation among the various ministries in order to promote tourism industry, he affirmed.

Egypt's important tourism sector has been recovering after being badly hit by four years of political turmoil following the uprising which toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

In 2014 the country welcomed 9.9 million tourists, up from 9.5 million the previous year.

Egypt welcomed some 14.7 million tourists in 2010, generating $12.5 billion in revenues, before the 2011 uprising.
Source: AFP