The resilience of Egypt’s crucial tourism industry was tested in April by Islamic militant bombers for the third year in a row, but yet again the sector has weathered the impact and attracted a record number of visitors. Despite the April bombing in the Sinai resort of Dahab, in which 19 people were killed, officials estimate that, by the end of this year, 9.1m tourists will have visited Egypt, up from 8.6m last year.Tourism receipts for the period January to August rose by 10.6 per cent over the same period last year.

Tourism brings in almost a quarter of Egypt’s foreign currency earnings and accounts for just over a tenth of gross domestic product. Industry officials are fond of saying that it supports directly or indirectly 70 economic sectors and employs 12.6 per cent of the labour force. With its year-round sunshine, warm turquoise waters and coral reefs teeming with colourful fish, the Sinai peninsula has grown in the 20 years since it was restored to Egypt into a big tourism centre, receiving more visitors than the more traditional destinations of Luxor and Aswan where the bulk of the country’s Pharaonic antiquities are located.