Russian tourists could return to Egypt in “the foreseeable future” as both countries work to secure safety of future Russian holidaymakers, Russian ambassador to Egypt said on Friday.
Ambassador Sergei Kirpichenko speaking to Russian state-backed media Sputnik said that work on the resumption of Russian tourism to Egypt is “underway.”
The announcement is good news for Egyptian authorities that have seen the country’s once buzzing tourism sector crashing after Russia suspended air links between the two countries following the downing of a Russian airliner in October in an act of terror claimed by the Islamic State group.
Egypt has spent millions of dollars to improve security at it airports and revive the tourism sector, which is vital to Egyptian economy hit by political turmoil. The crash of the Russian passenger jet had dealt a severe blow to the sector with the number of tourist arrivals falling by 47 per cent as of March compared to the same period last year.
Russian tourists are the largest contributors to the Egyptian tourism sector.
