Egypt's tourism reports good harvest in 2002

Egypt's tourism made a record in 2002 after more than 5.0 million tourists visited the country and bought 33m tourist nights during their stay.

Analysts of the Ministry of Tourism estimated the remarkable increase in the arrival of tourists at 11.7%. The purchase of tourist nights increased by 9.6%.

The resounding success has undermined fears warning that Egypt tourism would run into difficulty in 2002 in view of the deterioration in the situation of the Middle East.

According to figures released by the Ministry of Tourism about 474 000 tourists arrived in Egypt in December 2002, an increase of 61.6%. The number of tourist nights they bought was 2.3 million, an increase over the same period the previous year.