Hurghada hotels witnessed a significant increase in occupancy rates on the second day of the Eid al-Fitr holiday due to a rise in domestic tourism.
Domestic tourism in Egypt has now resumed amid controls put in place by the Ministry of Tourism to combat the coronavirus outbreak.
The hotels of Gouna and Hawaii, north of Hurghada, were occupied at 25 percent capacity — the amount allowed by the Ministry of Tourism for each hotel.
Hotels in Hurghada and Gouna also hosted a number of foreign and Arab diplomats working in Egypt, who spent the Eid al-Fitr holiday in the area.
All safari, diving, and marine activity centers continued to be suspended, however, and all public beaches remain closed.
Joint inspection committees from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the Ministry of Health, the Chamber of Hotel Establishments, and representatives from the Red Sea Governorate continued hotel inspections to make sure health safety controls are being applied.
Tourism and Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anany announced earlier in May that the nation’s hotels will operate at a maximum 25 percent capacity until June. From June 1 onward, hotels will operate at a maximum 50 percent capacity.
He explained that investors seek to only restore work in the tourism sector and to return domestic tourism to its usual levels, which is in the public interest.
Various hotels, companies, restaurants, bazaars and cafes in Egypt’s resorts have closed their doors to mitigate the coronavirus pandemic.
Tourism experts have estimated that Egypt’s tourism sector is losing one billion dollars a month due to the pandemic.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
