According to the Ministry of Tourism, the number of tourist arrivals increased by a yearly rate of 13.12% to 1.29M by August 2017. This increase was mainly due to the significant increases in the number of tourist arrivals from the Arab countries, Europe, and America, which constitute the largest share of tourists.
In details, European tourists (constituting 34% of total tourists) went up by a yearly 12.93% to 436,619 by August this year. French visitors rose by an annual 17.07% to 118,737 and tourists from Germany and Italy also increased by 15.28% and 13.55% to 71,043 and 22,480, respectively, by August 2017.
In addition, the number of visitors from Arab countries, representing 30% of the total, rose by 16.38%, on a yearly basis, to 392,203. In fact, both the number of Saudi and Kuwaiti tourists doubled as a result of the ban lift to 47,749 and 31,490. Moreover, the number of Iraqi tourists went up by a yearly 4.87% to 161,588 and the number of Egyptians rose by 2.62% to 54,679 by August 2017.
American tourists, grasping a share of 18% in the total, also rose by an annual 11.75% to 237,841 by August 2017. This rise was mainly due to the yearly growth in the number of visitors from the US and Canada, which increased by 16.60% and 14.76% to 129,887 and 82,386 by August 2017, respectively.
Cumulative Number of Tourists by August
Source: Ministry of Tourism