Egypt is open to visitors who drink alcohol and wear bikinis, the tourism minister has said, as the Islamist-ruled country sets out to boost numbers by at least a fifth this year.
Tourism is a pillar of the Egyptian economy but has suffered since a popular uprising toppled President Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and set off two years of periodic rioting and instability.
The minister, Hisham Zaazou, said the government had “optimistic goals” for the sector, and played down comments from radical Salafi Muslim groups who have called for a ban on alcohol and women wearing swimsuits.