Egypt’s tourist industry is gradually recovering, but Russian holiday-makers appear to be taking their time in heading for the African country’s resorts: in April 2011, the number of Russian tourists in Egypt was 65% less than a year earlier, the director of Egyptian Consulate’s Travel Department Nahid Nazmy Ayad Hanna told RIA Novosti.

According to the data, the drop came to 65% in April 2011 against April 2010. This means over 111,000 Russian tourists came to Egypt in April,’ she explained.

The official did not specify, however, whether the figure covered only the last three weeks of April, as at the start of the month the Russian tour operators were only preparing their trip offers.

At the same time, the Egyptian diplomat pointed out that even in March, when the sale of trips to Egypt was limited, some Russian tourists still wanted to see the pyramids and the famous Red Sea beaches. At least 6,290 Russian citizens arrived in Egypt through a third country in March 2011.