Occupancy rates in Egypt’s Red Sea and South Sinai hotels have exceeded 85 percent for the first time in more than a year during the Easter holidays, according to an official in Egyptian tourism development authority.

Some hotels even hung the “no vacancy” sign for the first time in 14 months after a popular uprising led to the ouster of president Hosni Mubarak in 2011, said Magdy Selim, head of the internal tourism division in the Tourism Development Authority.

Affected by a security vacuum and political unrest, Egypt saw around 10.2 million tourists in 2011, 32 per cent less than the year before. Tourism revenues plunged 30 per cent to $9 billion, against $12.5 billion in 2010. 

Selim explained that over the Easter period, in addition to Egyptians flocking to beaches to celebrate the spring festivities, European tourists also came in sizeable numbers.

He estimated that occupancy rates will fall back to 60-70 per cent after the holiday season ends; a rate that is “good” for this time of year.

The number of tourists visiting Egypt in the first quarter of 2012 fell to 2.34 million, a drop of 30 per cent on the same period the previous year (3.1 million in 2011),  state-run news agency MENA reported on Friday.