Pandemic dampens expectations of Egypt’s tourism recovery

Pandemic dampens expectations of Egypt’s tourism recovery

CAIRO – At the Pyramids of Giza, just a handful of tourists walks among the ancient wonders. Twelve people showed up to admire Luxor's towering colonnades the day it reopened this month. At Egypt's Red Sea resorts, visitor numbers are well below previous years.

Even as international flights and tourist spots open up and Egypt's coronavirus cases remain in check, officials, hotel owners and tour guides concede that the key winter season starting in October is going to be tough.

That could be bad news for the economy. Tourism accounts for up to 15% of Egypt's national output, and officials said it was losing around $1 billion each month after the sector all but shut down from March as the coronavirus pandemic struck.

Egyptian officials say they are making every effort to reassure tourists