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Egypt seeks to actively promote religious tourism for Russians

St. Catherine Monastery in Egypt EPA/AHMED HAYMAN

St. Catherine Monastery in Egypt

© EPA/AHMED HAYMAN

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Foreign Ministry recommends Russians holidaying in Egypt not to leave resort areas

MOSCOW, March 17. /ITAR-TASS/. The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism has actively been working on tours of religious tourism in the country, ministry’s head Hisham Zaazou told a news conference on Monday.

The minister said religious tourism was an important destination that could be of interest to Russian tourists. “We are working on new offers for tourists in that sphere. There are a lot of holy places in Egypt, in particular in the areas adjoining the Nile,” he noted, expressing hope that Russia would be interested in these destinations.

“Already now Russians take an active interest in trips to Saint Catherine Monastery on Sinai,” he said. As for that site, “recommendations were in place for Russian nationals to refrain from trips to the area where it is situated, but we expect they will be reduced shortly,” the minister added.

According to the Egyptian Ministry for Tourism, about 2.5 million Russian tourists spent their holidays on Red Sea resorts last year. This year, this figure is expected to grow by another 300,000 people.

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