Egypt's Tourism Ministry predicts that hotels' occupancy rates will rise during the Eid al-Fitr feast as more Egyptians head to tourist destinations, particularly coastal areas, a tourism official has said. Magdy Selim, head of the ministry's domestic tourism sector, said tourist destinations are receiving a high number of Egyptian visitors. Selim told Al-Masry Al-Youm that a program organized by the ministry under the slogan "We Will All See Egypt," which allows Egyptians to pay for domestic tourism in installments, has been quite successful and will continue until October. The ministry tasked a committee with developing land and river transport to support Nile tourism programs, Selim said. He predicted hotel occupancy to surpass 70 percent in Red Sea regions, and said rates will also increase in Alexandria and the north coast. Tourists from other Arab countries will also drive up the occupancy rates during Eid, Selim said, as Egypt is a favorite destination for them. The flow of Arab visitors will help show that Egypt is a secure and stable country, he said. Sherif Bahaa Eddin, a marketing manager at a five-star hotel in Taba, predicted that the hotel's occupancy rate during the feast will reach 50 to 80 percent. He said Taba hotels are witnessing an increasing turnout of Israeli Arabs. Translated from the Arabic Edition
