Tourist season in Egypt: how long will it be closed?
Almost 15 million tourists visited Egypt last year, generating US$11 billion or about one-tenth of the country’s domestic products, according to tourist authorities.
Cruise stops have been cancelled and tourist bookings for February are way down.
“The uncertain state of the Egyptian government means things are unlikely to turn around anytime soon, and the situation will remain volatile even when the streets are clear of protesters and things begin to appear more normal,” says CNN.
"The problems that catalyzed the latest demonstrations, including high food prices and high unemployment, would remain, so Egypt would be perceived by outsiders, correctly, as a tinderbox," said Timur Kuran, a Duke University economics, political science and Islamic studies professor.
He added tourists might decide this was not the right year to see Egypt.
Kuran said tourism in neighboring countries, including Jordan and Syria, also will be hit by the disruption in Egypt.
"They’re all perceived now as trouble spots, as unstable, so to varying degrees they will all be affected," he said.
How long might that last?
The speed of the industry’s recovery will depend in part on whether there’s an effort to invite visitors back, he said. The Egyptian Tourist Authority said it would launch an extensive marketing effort when the crisis is over to recapture the country’s share in the travel market.
It could take up to one year or perhaps even more for things to get back to normal, estimates CNN.
By David Wilkening
David
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