Egypt Raises Domestic Fuel Prices for 6th Time in a Row

A gas station in Cairo (AP)
A gas station in Cairo (AP)
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Egypt Raises Domestic Fuel Prices for 6th Time in a Row

A gas station in Cairo (AP)
A gas station in Cairo (AP)

Egypt raised on Wednesday its domestic fuel prices for the sixth time in a row along with the prices of diesel, which it has managed to sell at fixed price for three years.

The fuel pricing committee in a quarterly review raised domestic fuel prices by EGP0.50 for 80-octane, 92 octane petrol, and diesel while 95-octane petrol was raised by EGP1, the Petroleum Ministry said in a statement.

Prices of 80-octane, 92-octane and 95-octane petrol were raised to EGP8 ($0.4244), EGP9.25 ($0.4907) and EGP10.75 ($0.5703) per liter, respectively, while the diesel price reached EGP7.25, effective on Wednesday.

Egypt consumes about 12 million tons of diesel and about 6.7 million tons of gasoline annually.

The committee also decided to fix the prices of diesel supplied to the food and electricity industries, while raising the price of a ton of diesel fuel supplied to the rest of the industries by EGP400, bringing the price of a ton of diesel to EGP5,000.

The Ministry of Finance estimated the average price of an oil barrel in its 2022-23 budget at $80, compared to $61 in the previous budget.

The committee meets quarterly and relies in its decision on measuring the level of international oil prices, exchange rates, transportation, operating and production costs.

According to the law, it can fix, raise or reduce prices by no more than 10% each time its members meet.



Saudi Arabia Sees 656% Surge in Leisure Tourism in 2024

File photo of Saudi flag/Asharq Al-Awsat
File photo of Saudi flag/Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi Arabia Sees 656% Surge in Leisure Tourism in 2024

File photo of Saudi flag/Asharq Al-Awsat
File photo of Saudi flag/Asharq Al-Awsat

The Saudi Ministry of Tourism said its sector, particularly the leisure and holiday segments, witnessed substantial growth, due in no small part to the Kingdom's Vision 2030 directives.
In a statement marking World Tourism Day, observed every year on September 27, the ministry said that the Kingdom welcomed 17.5 million international tourists between January and July 2024, a 10% increase over the same period in 2023 and a 73% increase compared to the 2019 figures, SPA reported.
Most striking is the 656% increase in the number of tourists arriving specifically for entertainment and holiday purpose. The ministry said that 4.2 million tourists arrived for these purposes in the first seven months of 2024, a 25% increase over the previous year and an enormous leap over pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
These impressive results highlight the success of the Kingdom's long-term tourism strategy, under Vision 2030, which seeks to transform Saudi Arabia into a global tourism destination. The Kingdom had set the goal of 100 million tourists by 2030, but achieved this milestone in 2023, seven years ahead of schedule.
Saudi Arabia was acknowledged as the fastest-growing G20 country in the latest UN World Tourism Barometer report. According to September report, Saudi Arabia leads both in the growth of international tourist numbers and in tourism revenues.
These figures underscore the Kingdom's strategic focus on developing a sustainable tourism sector, improving infrastructure, and promoting Saudi Arabia as a premier global destination.
The ministry's achievements reflect the effectiveness of these efforts and position the Kingdom as a key player in the field of global tourism.