EGYPTAIR will commence thrice-weekly flights between New Delhi and Cairo in October despite weakened visitorship from India.
This comes on top of an existing four-times-weekly service to Mumbai.
Egypt’s tourism minister Hisham Za’zou commented: “Cultural tourism decreased during the last three years, especially in Luxor and Aswan. The ministry is now seeking to open new tourism markets like India to boost cultural tourism.”
Adel El Masry, director, Egyptian Tourism Office in India, said: “In 2010, about 170,000 Indian tourists visited Egypt while the 2013 count was 90,000. In 2014, Egypt expects about 100,000 Indian visitors.”
Tasneem Sharafally, director, Mumbai-based Global Destinations, said Indian traffic will return to Egypt as long as it is safe, because of “enduring” interest. “I expect about 25 per cent growth in 2015 with the help of these additional flights, if the destination is politically stable.”
