Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with Prime Minister, Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, and Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Mr. Sherif Fathy.
Spokesman for the Presidency, Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy, said the President was briefed on the comprehensive executive and logistical details, as well as the arrangements for various events related to the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, scheduled for November 1st. This included updates on the progress of work and the ongoing development of the area surrounding the museum. In this context, the President stressed the need to closely monitor all the details on the ground to ensure that the museum’s opening reflects its stature as a global cultural and archaeological landmark, while continuing efforts to enhance the visual appearance of the surrounding area.
During the meeting, the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities also reviewed the latest developments in the tourism investment dossier, highlighting the government’s commitment to attracting more investments to this vital sector. The Minister noted that preliminary indicators show steady growth in demand for Egypt as a tourist destination from various global markets, thanks to continued efforts to develop the tourism product, expand new tourism styles, intensify promotional campaigns, and improve the quality of services. In this regard, the President emphasized the need for the private sector to play a central role in tourism investment, contributing to an increase in tourist arrivals, the development of tourism infrastructure, and the diversification of destinations. The President also stressed the importance of developing a marketing plan targeting new markets, maximizing foreign currency revenues from tourism, and ensuring the system’s sustainability through effective governance.
The meeting also focused on ways to enhance the tourism sector and develop hotel facilities to accommodate a larger number of tourists. The Minister pointed out that the sector is currently experiencing the highest growth rates and is one of the most lucrative sectors for foreign currency. He also outlined a number of recent measures taken to stimulate the sector, particularly those related to facilitating the conversion of land and buildings for hotel activities, as well as increasing the number of vacation apartments, which will contribute to increasing the capacity of hotel rooms.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the President followed up on ways to strengthen cooperation with UNESCO in the field of protecting and preserving cultural heritage and archaeological sites. The President was briefed on ongoing efforts to restore, develop, and improve the services offered to visitors at museums and archaeological sites, with the aim of enhancing the tourist experience while preserving the cultural heritage. President El-Sisi stressed the importance of applying sustainable development principles in the management of UNESCO World Heritage-listed sites, and discussed mechanisms for cooperation with UNESCO to develop a comprehensive future vision for the preservation of these sites.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
