UK arrivals to Egypt rise 61% in 2017: Ambassador

CAIRO - 30 July 2017: “The number of British tourists to Egypt were raised 61 percent in 2017,” The British Ambassador in Egypt, John Casson said on his Twitter account Saturday.

This came as a reply to Naguib Sawiris’s tweet, in which he inquired why Britain lifted the travel ban to Tunisia after the deadly beach attack killing 55 and kept the ban on Egypt, where no British losses had happened.

@FCOJohnCasson Britain lifted the travel ban to Tunisia after the deadly beach attack killing 55 and keeps ban on Egypt where no UK losses?

— Naguib Sawiris (@NaguibSawiris) July 28, 2017

Casson answered his inquiry saying that while all Tunisia was banned, 230 thousand British tourists visited Egypt in 2016, +61 percent in 2017, and that Egypt and British governments are working together to open Sharm el-Sheikh too.

@naguibsawiris While all Tunisia was banned 230k Brits visited Egypt in 2016, +61% in 2017. Our govts are working together to open Sharm too

— British Amb in Egypt (@FCOJohnCasson) July 29, 2017

Sawiris re-tweeted the ambassador’s tweet hailing his diplomatic answer.

Earlier on June 19, 2017, Casson told Egypt Today, British tourist arrivals to Egypt jumped 20 percent year-on-year in the first four months of 2017 and that they worked hard to have more flights to Hurghada and Marsa Alam, and now we have 40 direct flights a week from Britain to every city of Egypt.