Eastern Europe holidaymakers support Egypt tourism recovery

Tourism revenue is an important source of foreign currency for Egypt and the sector usually makes up 15 percent of the country's GDP. (Shutterstock)

• Tourist arrivals have more than doubled since the start of the year

RIYADH: Egypt's tourism industry is rapidly recovering helped by an influx of holidaymakers from Eastern Europe, the country's tourism minister told CNBC Arabia.
Tourist arrivals have more than doubled since the start of the year, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled El-Enany told the network on the sidelines of
the Arabian Travel Market 2021 in Dubai.
It comes as the country invests heavily in its tourism infrastructure with current projects worth some $15 billion, he said.
The country is also trying to streamline the visa process with plans to launch an electronic visa portal covering 73 countries.
The minister said that a meeting would be held in the coming weeks with Saudi officials to discuss standard travel controls in the region.
Tourism revenue is an important source of foreign currency for Egypt and the sector usually makes up 15 percent of the country's GDP.