Egypt expects to receive a large numbers of tourists in the future as research conducted on the popularity of Egypt among tourists revealed significant interest in Egypt, said Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou.
Zaazou, who spoke Tuesday at a press conference attended by nearly 200 tourism sector representatives in 25 countries, expressed hope for Egypt's tourism sector despite a recent decline in numbers that have increased concern for the country's economic growth.
Finance Minister Hany Kadry Dimian on Monday decreased Egypt's economic growth forecast from 5 percent to 4-4.25 percent, highlighting the negative impact of the downing of a Russian passenger plane in October as one of the primary reasons.
Conducted by the US company Penn Schoen Berland upon a request from the Tourism Ministry, the research Zaazou referenced showed that 61 percent of tourists consider Egypt a destination they look forward to visiting during their lifetime.
Of those polled, Zaazou said 53 percent said Egypt is a destination that deserves to be visited or an extraordinary destination they plan to visit in the near further.
Penn Schoen Berland conducted its study between January 15-20, 2016, in seven major tourism markets around the world, including Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States, Italy, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Egypt's tourism sector, one of the largest contributors to the country's GDP, has suffered over the past few years, starting with the political and social unrest that followed the January 25 Revolution that ousted President Hosni Mubarak.
Revent events, however, have further jeopardized Egypt's tourism sector as it was just gaining momentum.
For the first time since the incident, on Wednesday President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said the Russian plane crash in Sinai on October 31 was deliberately brought down by terrorists. The plane crash, which killed all 224 onboard, was the center of controversy after Russia, Britain and the United States publicly claimed that it was the result of a terrorist attack, but Egypt refused to label it as such until the investigation was complete.
Sisi said the attack targeted Egypt's tourism sector, which has suffered greatly since the crash as a number of countries, including Russia and Great Britain who account for the highest number of Egypt's tourists, suspended flights to Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula.
In September 2015, 12 were killed in the Western Desert, including eight Mexican tourists, after the Armed Forces mistook their convoy for terrorists. Egyptian authorities said the tourists had entered a restricted area while enroute to the Bahriya oasis, a tourist site.
