In a statement, the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt, Ghada Shalbi, revealed the total number of tourists her country received during the first half of this year.

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In the first half of 2021, some 3.5 million tourists received by the country, Shalby said.

Revenue from the tourism sector had ranged from $3.5 billion to $4 billion over the same period.

Last year, Egypt's revenues from tourism reached about $4 billion, a 70 percent decline from 13.03 billion the previous year, as a result of the Corona epidemic, which had severely affected the sector.

The Egyptian official predicted a 45 to 60 percent increase in tourist numbers over the coming period compared to last year.

I also expected the average tourist spending per night to be around $95.

The tourism sector contributes about 15 percent of Egypt's economic output, being a major source of foreign exchange.

In March 2020, Egypt closed hotels as a result of the Corona crisis, but reopened them almost two months later with about 25 percent of its capacity and later increased to 50 percent.