Number of tourists visiting Egypt up by 2.9% in July

The number of tourists visiting Egypt rose by 2.9 percent in July compared to the same period of the previous year, according to the latest official figures issued Tuesday.

The number of tourists arriving in Egypt reached 911,600 in July, up from 885,800 in July 2014, state statistics body CAPMAS announced in a press statement.

Tourism is one of the main sources of foreign currency for Egypt, which relies heavily on imports of basic foodstuffs such as wheat, bringing in $7.5 billion in revenues in 2014.

The highest number of tourists visiting in July were from Eastern Europe, of which 67 percent were from Russia.

Western Europeans were 34% of visiting tourists, 28 per cent of which were British tourists. Meanwhile, 17 percent came from Middle Eastern countries, said CAPMAS.

The average number of nights spent by departing tourists was 9.5 in July 2015, compared to 8.8 in the same period of the previous year.