The number of Ukrainian tourists visiting Egypt in 2015 nearly halved, dropping to around 277,000 from January to October compared to approximately 446,000 in 2014. However, recently, citizens of Ukraine have been rapidly purchasing packages to the Red Sea.
Despite the decline, Egypt's Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou announced that tourism from Eastern European countries has not suffered after news of the Russian plane crash in Sinai, which Russian officials declared an 'act of terrorism'.
Zaazou's comments followed a meeting with Ukraine's ambassador, Gennady Laty, who stated that Ukraine is not suspending flights to the resort city of Sharm El Sheikh but urged Egyptian authorities to address 'cases of theft and harassment' that some Ukrainian citizens face in their hotels.
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The Russian plane that crashed on October 31 was en route to St. Petersburg from Sharm El Sheikh airport but disappeared from radar 23 minutes after takeoff. All 224 passengers and crew members on board perished.
In Russia, which suspended all flights to Egypt a few days later, it was confirmed after conducting an investigation that this was indeed a terrorist act.
The most active group in Egypt, an affiliate of ISIS in Syria and Iraq, claimed responsibility for the attack twice in separate statements.
Zaazou previously stated that Egypt's tourism sector largely depends on Russian, Ukrainian, and British tourists, who account for 66 percent of visitors to Sharm El Sheikh, while Russians make up 52 percent of tourists in Hurghada.
During the meeting with Laty, Zaazou discussed measures taken by the government to ensure security in airports and seaports. This plan includes updating and replacing scanners for passengers, cargo, luggage, packages, and even vehicles to comply with 'international standards'.
Earlier in November, Zaazou mentioned that a 13 percent decline in tourist flow is expected in 2015/2016, with 9 million tourists instead of 9.9 million in 2014.
Egypt heavily relies on the tourism sector as a primary source of the country's GDP and much-needed hard currency, trying to revive its ailing sector, shaken by political instability and now by terrorist attacks.
However, among Ukrainians, tours to Egypt have recently become increasingly popular. Due to price reductions of up to 40%, citizens of Ukraine are snapping them up almost instantly. Furthermore, there are no plans to impose a flight ban to Egypt in Ukraine.