6 things that Egypt can do to boost tourism

President Al-Sisi has repeatedly emphasised the importance of the tourism sector. The head of the Egyptian Tourist Authority Samy Mahmoud said he wants to target the Asian and Russian markets, and the former head of the Federation of Tourism Chambers Elhamy Elzayat has called for more investment in tourist infrastructure. Tourism will continue to be important for the Egyptian economy, up to 10% or more of GDP. Recently, tourism has shown some growth, but has not rebounded to pre-2011 levels. What to do to boost the tourism sector?

Security will be an issue for the immediate future, but not an insurmountable one, especially for more adventurous individual travellers. Contrary to the intent of visa rules which would make it more difficult for individual travellers, the tourism authorities should encourage independent tourism. Studies have shown that independent travellers spend more, stay longer, and patronize more local businesses than group package tourists.