Egypt’s inbound tourism rate increases by 2.9% in July 2015: CAPMAS | Cairo Post

http://www.thecairopost.com/news/165691/topnews/egypts-inbound-tourism-rate-increases-by-2-9-in-july-2015-capmas

Egypt's inbound tourism rate increases by 2.9% in July 2015: CAPMAS

Sep. 01, 2015 16:02

Tourists at Pyramids - YOUM7(Archive)

By THE CAIRO POST

CAIRO: The number of tourists visiting Egypt increased by 2.9 percent in July 2015 compared with the same period last year, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), Egypt's official statistical agency.

In its monthly report for tourism statistics issued Tuesday, CAPMAS indicated that 911,600 tourists visited Egypt in July 2015, compared to 885,800 in July last year.

Tourism, Egypt's second most important source of national income after the Suez Canal, provides direct and indirect employment to up to 12.6 percent of the country's workforce.

According to the report, the rate of tourists from Western Europe represented 38.2 percent, followed by tourists from Eastern Europe in second place at 33.9 percent, with Middle Eastern tourists at 17 percent, with holidaymakers from Russia, the U.K., and Saudi Arabia topping the list of the three regions respectively.

According to the report, the number of Arab tourists visiting the country in July 2015 stood at 182,200, marking a 39.5 percent increase compared to July 2014.

Revenues from tourism, comprising 11.3 percent of Egypt's gross domestic product (GDP), witnessed a sharp decline in the aftermath of the political instability following Egypt's 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak.

The number of departing tourists in July 2015 increased by 8.7 percent, totaling 815,500 compared to 750,400 during the same period last year.

Tourists coming from Eastern Europe during July 2015 spent the largest number of nights in the country at 46 percent, followed by Western Europeans at 31.4 percent and Middle Easterners at 14.3 percent.

Tourism revenues jumped to almost $4 billion from $1.9 billion during the first half of the current fiscal year 2014/2015, the central bank announced in May.

Tourist nights spent by departing tourists totaled 7.8 million nights during July 2015 compared to 6.6 million nights in July 2014. Western Europe is the largest in the number of tourist nights with a rate of 41.3 percent, followed by Eastern Europe with 34.9 percent, and the Middle East with 16.7 percent.

According to the report, the average stay for departing tourists rose from 8.8 nights in July 2014 to 9.5 nights in July 2015.