Roughly 250,000 tourists from various countries visited Egypt during the coronavirus pandemic with zero infections reported, the Advisor to the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Soha Bahgat said during a phone call with the “Min Masr” (From Egypt) show.
The government has succeeded in supporting the tourism sector amid the coronavirus crisis, she added.
She explained that the Tourism and Antiquities Ministry has taken every necessary precautionary measure to secure the flow of tourism under the pandemic.
Tourism and Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anany also announced that over 200,000 German tourists have visited South Sinai and the Red Sea, and safely returned home without any complaints.
Anany explained that Egypt is utilizing advanced, professional measures to protect tourists, such as conducting PCR tests for all incoming visitors alongside another test for tourists returning from the Red Sea and South Sinai.
To date, no COVID-19 cases have been reported within the nation’s tourist governorates, he said, noting that the total number of infections in Cairo and other cities is far less than in Germany.
Anani added that the government has informed German officials about the various measures Egypt has implemented against the virus.
The minister recently met with Germany’s Federal Foreign Office Director General of Economic Affairs and Sustainable Development Miguel Bergerat at the German Foreign Ministry’s headquarters, accompanied by the Egyptian Ambassador to Germany Khaled Galal.
He also met with Federal Government Commissioner for Tourism Thomas Bareiß, the chairperson of the Bundestag Tourism Committee and a number of parliamentarians, before holding a press conference at the Egyptian embassy on Sunday evening to answer journalist inquiries.
Egypt announced on August 20 that starting September every passenger on board its flights to Egypt, regardless of nationality, must have a PCR analysis confirming that they tested negative for the coronavirus.
A cabinet statement explained that this comes as part of efforts by the Egyptian government to combat the spread of COVID-19.
From September 1, all local and foreign passengers must provide a PCR analysis document proving they tested negative for coronavirus within 72 hours of reaching Egyptian territory.
Egypt suspended flights and tourism in March as part of measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Traffic in all Egyptian airports resumed since July 1, in accordance with Egypt’s preventive and precautionary measures to coexist with COVID-19.
