He also stabbed three other workers, leaving them with serious injuries
uae6 hours ago
The opening of an Egyptian tourism office in Abu Dhabi next week reflects the importance of the UAE to Egypt, as it marks the beginning of a new strategy that Cairo adopts to focus on promising markets in the region.
According to Egyptian officials in the tourism industry, the main purpose of the new regional office is to boost two-way tourism between the Arab countries, in addition to being proof of the strategic relations that Egypt and the UAE enjoy. Egypt hopes it could increase the number of its Emirati guests by 30 to 35 per cent by the end of the year.
According to statistics issued by the Egyptian Tourism Authority, the number of tourists increased by 23 per cent compared to the same month last year. The overall number of visitors to Egypt increased in May by 16.5 per cent, while the number from January till May jumped by nine per cent compared to the same period in 2014.
Moreover, 27,199 Emirati tourists visited Egypt during the months from January till October 2014, compared to 15,746 in the same period in 2013, an increase of 72.7 per cent.
Tourists from the KSA also increased by 64.9 per cent during the first 10 months of 2014, compared to the same period of 2013, with 292,239 guests last year, as opposed to 177,179 in 2013. Similarly, official statistics show that the number of Kuwaitis who visited Egypt in the period from January till October 2014 increased by 44.8 per cent, with 96,599 visitors, compared to 66,714 during the same period in 2013.
The opening of the UAE tourism office also reflects the Egyptian government's willingness to benefit from the exceptional Emirati experience in tourism. That is due to the existence of 85 per cent of the best international hotel chains in the UAE. Tourism expenditure in Dubai, for example, reached 24 billion dirhams in 2014 alone, spent by 11 million tourists.
Such a successful model is important for Egypt that is targeting $20 billion in revenues from tourism by 2020, according to the Egyptian minister of tourism. Egypt plans to attract 20 million visitors, as opposed to 11 million this year.
The new strategy focuses on markets with high expenditure rates per tourist, and this is evident by launching direct flights from the UAE to Sharm El Shaikh and Hurghada, amid high demand from the Emiratis for long weekend vacations.
Additionally, there is special focus on tourist destinations such as Nile. The government also plans to breathe life into several cultural destinations that have been suffering since January 2011.
The tendency to revive tourism is one way to revive Egypt's economy, which suffers from low foreign currency resources. Moreover, focusing on Arab tourism will generate momentum for Arab investments in other fields helping the country fight unemployment.
Ahmed Mokhtar is the managing editor of Al Ahram Al Massai
He also stabbed three other workers, leaving them with serious injuries
uae6 hours ago
Dubai FinTech Summit kicked off on Monday with over 200 exhibitors
business7 hours ago
There were no immediate details over what the agreement entailed
mena7 hours ago
Authorities are currently investigating the sightings
uae7 hours ago
Although Israel ordered civilians in Rafah to evacuate, charity organisations say no real plan for their move is in place
mena7 hours ago
On Sunday, the final day of the adult competition, the UAE national team delivered a stellar performance, adding seven more medals to their tally
sports7 hours ago
Report says MAI-1 will be "far larger" than the previous smaller, open source models Microsoft had previously trained
tech7 hours ago
Country is showcasing its attractions at ATM
business7 hours ago