The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has reported that the country welcomed 500,000 tourists during the first quarter of 2021 despite the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic. Egypt has strict testing requirements in place for international arrivals and has largely been spared the severe impacts of the pandemic that other countries have suffered.
The heavily tourism-dependent country suffered more than a 73% drop in visitors in 2020 compared with 2019, with nearly all of the dip occurring in the second, third, and fourth quarters of the year after the pandemic surged in March of 2020.
While hotel occupancy rates across Egypt have steadily increased each month this year reading 45% as of March, data forecasters are predicting occupancies as high as 62% later in the year.
The Egyptian government has been rolling out a steady stream of events, such as the recent Pharaohs’ Golden Parade, and announcements of new discoveries in order to help maintain international interest in the country’s tourism sector. However, the biggest anticipated announcement that will instantly boost bookings and help increase international arrivals has yet to be made – an opening date for the new Grand Egyptian Museum, expected to open to the public later this fall.
