CAIRO — Egypt’s tourism sector has recovered appreciably during the first three months of the fiscal year 2018-2019, according to the Egyptian Central Bank. There has been an increase in tourists arriving in Egypt after a nosedive following the 2011 revolution and the subsequent protests and the 2015 crash of a Russian plane in Sinai.

Leaders in the tourism sector are seeking to boost tourism from east and southeast Asia, particularly China.

Ahmed Hamdi, former deputy head of Egypt's Tourism Development Authority, said that the Russian plane crash was a turning point in Egypt’s tourism industry as Russia and the UK suspended flights, which accounted for 30-40% of the Egypt's inbound tourism. He told Al-Monitor that in the wake of the incident, the Ministry of Tourism begun to consider parallel tourism markets and niches, especially in east and southeast Asia.

Asian tourists to Egypt already rank third in terms of numbers, with 670,000 tourists out of a total of 11.5 million visiting Egypt in 2018. Hamdi said that the Asian markets look promising, especially in the cultural tourism department, which has seen a decline over the past years. He called on Egyptian tourism companies to target the Asian market, particularly Japan, China and Vietnam.