Mahmoud al-Qaysouni, advisor to the Minister of Tourism, revealed that there had been a 35 percent fall in tourism to desert sites, costing around US$350 million in lost revenue since the beginning of the current year in comparison with last year. In 2009 desert tourism brought in around 8 percent of the entire income from tourism.
Al-Qaysouni attributed the decline to a series of limitations imposed on desert tourism by various government agencies. He estimated that in just two years Egyptian tourism could generate an income of more than US$28 billion annually, if the obstacles placed on it by the government could be removed.
The Minister's advisor was speaking during the opening ceremony of the Characters of Egypt Festival in Marsa Alam on Saturday. He demanded that the Ministry of Tourism be granted authority above other ministries in the Wadi al-Gamal oasis in Marsa Alam on the Red Sea, stressing that tourism is the life blood of the Egyptian economy and the only industry guaranteed to contribute substantially to the development process.
He said that Egypt's prospects are greater than those of many countries but that these countries are able to outstrip Egypt because they do not impose the same restrictions. He explained that the Characters of Egypt Festival and the promotional efforts around it had attracted a large number of reservations, but that many of these reservations had been cancelled after restrictions were imposed on desert tourism.
Al-Qaysoumi denied the accusations that the Ministry of Tourism and the Egyptian Tourism Board were withdrawing their support for the Characters of Egypt Festival, stressing that the Ministry of Tourism supports all festivals that promote tourism, "My attendance here with you now is proof of this."
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
