Official statistics prove that tourism was less affected by the clashes in Tahrir Square than the sectarian violence that took place in the neighborhood of Imbaba two months ago, said Sami Mahmoud of the Tourism Promotion Authority. He explained that Italian and Chinese tourists canceled their bookings after the clashes, while Russian tourists did not because they go to Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh, which are far from the trouble in Cairo. He added that tourism has slowly revived since the recent uprising. Tourism numbers stood at 15 percent of their normal levels shortly after the revolution, 35 percent in March, 55 percent in April and 60 percent in May. In his road map to encourage tourism in Egypt, Ahmed Balbaa, from the Egyptian Tourism Chamber of Commerce, called for a reduction in the tourism sales tax from 10 percent to 5 percent, a reduction of taxes on hotel accessories, and an extention of the sector's tax declaration grace period from 60 days to 90 days. Translated from the Arabic Edition
