Violence in the Middle East and riots earlier this year has reduced the number of tourists visiting Egypt, with a 35.4 percent drop in arrivals for the second quarter compared to the corresponding period last year.

Figures released by Egypt's Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics highlighted that 2.2 million travellers entered Egypt for the months April to June this year, a fall from last year’s 3.5 million.

Number of nights also fell by 35.4 percent for quarter from 33.7 million to 21.8 million.

The drop in stays was lead by a fall of 38.9 percent from the Western European market while the Eastern European markets increased their number of nights by up to 52.1 percent for the quarter compared to the last.

Despite the decrease in arrivals, Egypt’s Government has handed down the decision to cancel a proposal that would allow travellers to obtain visas into the country prior to their arrival.

Tourism Minister Monier Fakhri Abdel Nour told Middle East News Agency that proposal could have negative impact on tourism into Egypt.

"Local and outside reactions indicated that issuing such a decision would have severe negative repercussions on the tourism movement in Egypt," he explained.