expatriates and nationals living abroad, and boost domestic tourism. This plan included packages and offers for GCC and MENA residents.

The initiative had already started paying off by July with the number of Arab tourists visiting Egypt in the first seven months of the year increasing 18.7 percent year-on-year. Inbound tourists from the UAE, Saudi Arabia Kuwait for example climbed 65.6, 53.1 and 41.4 percent, respectively.

July saw another landmark in Egypt’s decisive strategy. In line with the government’s actions to promote tourism in Arab markets, particularly within the Gulf region, the Egyptian Tourism Authority (ETA) celebrated the official opening of a new office in Abu Dhabi, its first in the region.
Ahmed Ali, head of Abu Dhabi office, ETA, reiterated, “[This] is an important milestone for ETA, which reflects the strong ties we have with our neighbours in the Arab world.

The UAE has always been a strong supporter of Egypt and is one of the country’s key tourism markets. The launch is a key element of the strategic plan developed by the Ministry of Tourism and ETA to attract 20 million visitors to Egypt by 2020, and drive tourism revenues to reach USD26 billion.”

He also revealed that the two tourism bodies are in the process of launching the new 2015-2018 campaign, which will be implemented across 27 source markets in order to attract visitors from Arab markets, particularly the Gulf region, a top priority for the country.