RIYADH — In light of the stability witnessed by Egypt's most popular tourist destinations, and the strategy adopted by both the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and the Egyptian Tourism Authority in their “Wahashtouna” campaign, the country has seen a significant rise in the number of incoming tourists. 8,197,917 tourists visited Egypt during the first 10 months of 2014 - a 1 percent increase compared to the same period last year. Inbound tourism saw an increase during the month of October of this year –a 79.5 percent increase in tourists from across the world. 558,687 tourists visited Egypt in 2013 and that figure grew to 1,002,928 in 2014. Additionally, the number of Arab tourists who visited Egypt in the October reached 162,264 - a growth of 35.1 percent, compared to 120,123 tourists in October of last year. These results reflect the solid foundations that the Egyptian tourism sector enjoys, which enables the nation to overcome the various challenges posed by the exceptional circumstances witnessed by the country over the past three years. The diversity of Egyptian tourist sub-destinations that cater to different tourist needs, and unlimited government support for this sector are the two key factors that contributed to Egypt's ability to retain its position as one of the most important tourist destinations in the region and the world. Saudi Arabia recorded a growth in the number of tourists visiting Egypt in October 2014. 33,113 Saudi tourists visited the country in October 2014 - an increase of 98.1 percent compared with 16,715 tourists in October 2013. Statistics also revealed that the number of Saudi tourists increased by 64.9 percent during the first ten months of 2014 compared to the same period in 2013, where the number of Saudi tourists increased from 177,179 to 292,239. The United Arab Emirates saw a similar increase where 4,085 Emirati tourists visited Egypt in October 2014 - an increase of 104.3 percent compared with 2,000 tourists in October 2013. Statistics also indicate a 72.7 percent rise in the overall number of Emirati tourists visiting Egypt during the first 10 ten months of the year which increased from 15,746 in 2013 to 27,199 in 2014. The number of Kuwaiti tourists visiting Egypt in October 2014 also grew with 13,129 visitors from the Gulf state - an increase of 84.6 percent compared with 7,114 tourists in October 2013.The number of Kuwaiti tourists visiting Egypt throughout the first 10 months of 2014 increased by 44.8 percent. 96,599 Kuwaiti tourists have visited so far this year compared to 66,714 tourists during the same period in 2013. — SG
