Quoted by Business Today, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Ghada Shalaby, stressed that the sector plummeted in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, although she was optimistic about the recovery process.

In that sense, she estimated that in the second half of the year the number of arrivals could grow by 45 to 60 percent compared to the same period in 2020.

According to official data, in 2019 the country received 13.1 million foreign visitors who reported revenues worth about 13 billion dollars, but the figures fell in 2020 to 3.5 million and four billion dollars, respectively.

Tourism is a pillar of the national economy, accounting for about 15 percent of Gross Domestic Product and employing more than three million Egyptians.

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