Surge of Chinese helps to steady Egypt's tourism

The number of Chinese tourists in Egypt is growing steadily and rapidly, says Samy Mahmoud, head of Egypt's tourism authority. "In 2014 we had almost 64,000 Chinese tourists, but by the end of 2015 we had over 125,000 visitors from China."

The official expects that the number will rise to 200,000 in 2016 as almost 15 regular and charter flights come to Cairo, Luxor and Hurghada every week.

Mahmoud reveals that the tourism authority contacted the Chinese ambassador in Cairo and asked him to work on allowing Chinese airlines to fly to Egypt, adding "it will be a great chance for the Chinese airlines to work in the Egyptian market".