Egypt draws more Chinese after Xi's visit

An increasing number of Chinese tourists are flocking to Egypt since Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent state visit, providing a boost to the Middle Eastern country's tourism industry, a senior Egyptian official said.

Xi's visit to Cairo and the ancient southern city of Luxor last month has boosted the interest of the Chinese in Egypt's tourism sites, even without additional promotion by the Egyptian side, Egypt's Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"Right after Xi's visit, we saw a 35 percent increase in tourists from China," he said.