CAIRO: The Egyptian government has announced that EgyptAir will discount all domestic airline tickets to tourist destinations to compensate for the downturn in tourism during the coronavirus pandemic.
Egyptian ministers said that the discounts — which come as part of the “Winter in Egypt” initiative — will be implemented from Jan. 15 to Nov. 28.
Hotels in the subsidized locations will also offer discounted prices to encourage travel.
The government said meetings were held involving the ministers of tourism, antiquities and aviation, in addition to representatives from the Egyptian Tourism Federation and Chamber of Tourism Establishments.
The Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled Al-Anani previously announced that tourism revenues in the country had dropped 69 percent in the last year to about $4 billion compared to more than $13 billion in 2019.
Al-Anani said this was due to the suspension of air traffic and the border closures to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, which has infected more than 85 million people and killed 1.8 million.
The minister said the number of tourists in Egypt reached 3.5 million in 2020, compared to 13.1 million in 2019.
The Ministry of Aviation said that several coordination meetings were held between Al-Anani and Mohamed Manar, the minister of civil aviation, to set up mechanisms to stimulate domestic tourism and to discuss the promotion of the “Winter in Egypt” initiative.
The is hoping to connect tourist cities with various governorates by organizing trips from Cairo to Luxor, Aswan, Sharm El Sheikh, Taba, Hurghada and Marsa Alam, and from Alexandria to Luxor and Aswan, from Jan. 15 until the end of February.
The Supreme Council of Antiquities decided to grant a 50 percent discount on the prices of tickets for Egyptians in the archaeological areas and museums open for visits in the governorates of Qena, Luxor and Aswan, throughout January and February.
