As normality returns to Egypt and Tunisia, UNWTO welcomes efforts by national authorities to restore confidence among tourists and by foreign governments to update travel advisories accordingly. Tourism is a central component of both countries’ economies and, as tourists begin to return, can play an important role in overall economic recovery. 

As the situation in both Egypt and Tunisian returns to normal, tourism stakeholders from the private and public sectors have reacted accordingly. Major tourism sites are open to the public, airlines have resumed flights, tour operators in many of the main source markets have restarted selling holidays and governments have updated their travel advisories to reflect the unfolding situation.   

Egypt reported 12 million international tourist arrivals in 2009 and preliminary results for 2010 are 14 million. In terms of international tourism receipts, the figures stand at around US$11 billion in 2009 and US$12.5 billion in 2010. Tunisia saw 7 million international tourist arrivals in 2009, generating US$3 billion.