Al ain world, Capital of Egypt

Cairo, July 9 Egypt has welcomed on Russia's decision to lift a ban on charter flights to the African country's Red Sea resorts after around six years of suspension, the Foreign Ministry in Cairo in a statement."Egypt expresses its aspiration for the speedy return of Russian tourism to Egyptian resorts, which would enhance bilateral cooperation in the tourism field," Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.Issued in November 2015, a few days after a Russian plane crashed over the Sinai Peninsula killing 224 people, the ban was annulled earlier on Thursday by a decree from Russian President Vladimir Putin.Before Thursday's decision, only regular Russian flights to Cairo and official flights to Egypt were allowed.The Russian flight suspension greatly affected the tourism industry in Egypt, for Russia used to be a top source of tourists for Egypt's popular Red Sea resorts of Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada.Before the 2015 crash, Russian tourists accounted for about 40 per cent of all foreign visitors to Egypt, mostly arriving on chartered flights to Sharm El Shiekh and Hurghada.The resumption of the chartered flights comes at a time when Egypt's vital tourism sector is slowly recovering from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.The government this week allowed hotels nationwide to operate at 70 per cent of their capacity, up from 50 per cent. Preventive measures remain in force.Egypt welcomed 13 million tourists in 2019, the year before the pandemic struck, earning $13.03 billion.Last year, its revenues from the sector dropped to $4 billion.The tourism industry, which normally accounts for about 15 per cent of Egypt's gross domestic product, earned the Treasury about $4 billion during the first half of 2021.Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

Al Ain WorldFOLLOW

Al ain world, Latest News

Cairo, Aug 22 Egypt is attempting to break the peace stalemate and revive negotiations between Palestine and Israel ... ...

Cairo, Aug 21 The Panamanian-flagged and Japanese-owned ship Ever Given has crossed the Suez Canal for the first ... ...

Since 2013, the Egyptian government has been trying hard to stem a deadly insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula with scores of insurgents and Egyptian soldiers dead every month. ...

Kuwait City, Aug 2 The Kuwait Airport has started receiving expatriates who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 after ... ...

Cairo, July 19 Egypt has condemned the "renewed violations by Israeli extremists" against the al-Aqsa Mosque in East ... ...

Cairo, July 16 Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit expressed "great disappointment" over the decision by Lebanese Prime ... ...

Cairo, July 15 The Egyptian tourism sector has recovered by 40 per cent amid Covid-19 precautionary measures, eyeing ... ...

Cairo, July 9 Egypt has welcomed on Russia's decision to lift a ban on charter flights to the ... ...