The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

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As flights resume to Sharm el-Sheikh International airport, a positive reflection is gradually appearing with regards to its growth. In research published by Routesonline, the airport was crowned the fastest-growing in Africa. The figures show an increase of 28.9%, which puts the airport on top of the list in terms of year-on-year growth.

Compared to the 1.16 million departure seats to Sharm el-Sheikh in 2018, this year’s numbers show a significant rise to 1.49 million. This hike can be credited to carriers that have resumed flights in 2019 such as Turkish Onur Air and Atlas Global.

The recent lifting of the four-year ban to the Red Sea resort by British airlines is also expected to boost tourism, as tighter security measures are being taken to ensure the safety of travellers. According to the Guardian, the first expected flight should depart as early as the summer of 2020 by holiday company TUI.

“Sharm el-Sheikh was always a popular holiday destination with our customers, and we welcome the change in travel advice by the UK government. We will reintroduce Sharm el-Sheikh, taking into account customer demand, and will now work closely with our hotel and airport partners so we can confirm more details in due course,” TUI told the Independent.

In Routes Online’s report, Marrakech airport came second at 22.6%, while Hurghada airport was ranked third on the list with 11.9% year-on-year growth. Hurghada’s advancement shows 2.70 million departure seats in 2019, which increased from 2.41 million in 2018.

Congratulations #Egypt’s Sharm el Sheikh airport for leading Africa’s top fastest growing airports at 28.9% YoY growth and to Hurghada for ranking 3rd at 11.9% YoY. We welcome travelers from all over the world to experience the beauty of our destinations.https://t.co/QHLAdN35Z0 pic.twitter.com/DEUXylwDEr

— Rania A. Al Mashat (@RaniaAlMashat) December 8, 2019

In light of such news, Minister of Tourism, Rania Al Mashat congratulated Egypt and welcomed visitors from across the globe on her Twitter account. “We welcome travellers from all over the world to experience the beauty of our destinations”, she said.

According to Egypt Today, Al Mashat had announced the launch of Tourism Reform Programme that paved the way for Egyptian tourism companies to flourish further. She envisioned a future when every household would have at least one member working towards improving Egypt’s tourism.