Egypt received the first Chinese tourist group on Friday since the outbreak of COVID-19 three years ago.
During a welcoming ceremony at Cairo International Airport, Egyptian Vice Minister for Tourism and Antiquities Ghada Shalaby welcomed the tourists, expressing aspiration to see more Chinese tourist groups.
Yehia Zakaria, chairman of the EgyptAir Holding Company, also welcomed the arrival of the Chinese tourist group.
Zakaria said the number of weekly flights between Egypt and China will be increased to 13 starting in March.
In his address at the welcoming ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang thanked the Egyptian government and people for giving a warm welcome to the Chinese tourists and wished for an ever-lasting friendship between the two countries.
China used to be the fourth largest source of tourists to Egypt in the pre-pandemic years.
In 2019, Egypt received 13.1 million tourists, with its tourism revenues hitting a record high of 13.03 billion U.S. dollars before the pandemic badly hit the sector.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service
