Egypt and Greece were “the clear winners” of the German travel market in 2017, German Travel Association President Norbert Fiebig said, according to tourism portal FVW.
“Tour operator sales for holidays in Egypt increased by 55 percent this year, although on the basis of a weak previous year,” he said, adding that winter bookings are showing that Egypt is continuing its recovery.
No further details were provided on the most popular destination within Egypt for German travelers, but FVW has reported bookings to Hurghada and Marsa Alam increasing consistently in August, September, and October.
In January, Germany removed its final travel restrictions for Sharm El-Sheikh and South Sinai areas, as a result of efforts by the Egyptian Embassy in Berlin and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.
The Federal Ministry of Transport in Germany issued an announcement exempting German airliners from the notice not to fly below 26,000 feet when passing over the north of the Sinai Peninsula.
Egypt has been battling to recover the badly-affected tourism sector over the course of 2016, after years of political turmoil since the 25 January uprising in 2011.
This was exacerbated by the downing of the Russian plane in October 2015, which killed all 224 passengers and crew on board, most of them Russian tourists.
