Thanks to the successful tourism promotion policy, tourism in Egypt rose by 48 percent in January in comparison with the same month last year, the tourism minister said.

In statements to MENA on Thursday, Yehia Rashed said cultural tourism has been boosting over the past few months as occupancy at Luxor hotels shot up by 85 percent and prices rose by 25 percent for first time since 2011.

He considered this as a great achievement for the ministry, pledging that the ministry would proceed with its successful marketing and promotion plans until tourism is back to its normal rates.

He referred to new kinds of tourism, including the Route of Holy Family tour which gave momentum to tourism in Egypt.

He noted that the Tourism Ministry is coordinating with various ministries to remove any obstacles hampering tourism in Egypt, hailing continued support by the political leadership and the prime minister.

Rashed also added that the ministry would work on honing skills of those working in the tourism sector.

He noted that the promotion campaigns managed to positively affect the image of Egypt, especially in Arab and foreign media.

He expected tourism in Egypt to witness a fillip in the second half of 2017.