According to a recent statement released by the Egyptian Toursim Minister, the first 6 months of 2010 showed an increase in tourist numbers of 17.6%. This is excellent news as tourist numbers did drop by a small percentage in the 1st half of 2009 as a result of the worldwide recession.

The revenue from tourism for 2009 was £10.8 million, the aim is to increase this figure to £13 milion by the end of 2010, which looks achievable judging on the figures to date.

Tourism accounts for 11% of Egypt’s GDP & 1 in 8 of the working population is employed in this sector. It is easy to see why the government are so keen to attract more tourists to their country, which is excellent news for those investing in property here.

Egypt’s popularity is clearly growing year on year. Whilst the numbers dipped by 2% in 2009 due to the global recession, other countries who were considered tourism rivals saw much bigger drops in visitor numbers, with Cyprus experiencing a 17% drop & Greece 10%.

This re-inforces the fact that tourists are now flocking here & seeing that Egypt has lot’s to offer in terms of weather, beaches & good value for money. The more traditional & seasonal destinations are beginning to lose out to their African neighbour.

For more information on properties for sale in Egypt visit Sun Homes.