Egypt aimed at increasing the number of foreign tourists by between 25 percent and 30 percent annually and boosting its revenues, Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Ahmed Issa, said on Tuesday.
Issa’s remarks came during an evening ceremony held at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square to mark the annual World Tourism Day on Sept. 27.
This coincided this year with the 200th anniversary of the creation of the Field of Egyptology and the decoding of ancient hieroglyphs.
Egyptology is the study of ancient Egyptian culture, language, art, architecture, religion, history, and more. It’s a field of research and activity that stands on a precipice between the present day and some of humanity’s earliest systems of creation and collective endeavour.
“The tourism industry is one of the main pillars of the national economy, and it is linked with many complimentary industries and contributes to providing job opportunities directly and indirectly,’’ Issa said.
According to Issa, the Tourism Ministry plans to improve the quality of the tourism experience of every foreign tourist coming to Egypt through investment in hotels and shopping malls, as well as the quality of services provided to tourists whether in airports, streets, or taxis.
He added that his ministry would collaborate with the aviation ministry to increase the number of planes and the capacity of airports.
The tourism minister also spoke of the Chinese market as one of the promising markets for Egypt’s tourism industry.
“The Chinese market is very important to the Egyptian tourism industry.
“All our market research and strategic plans so far show the significant and high potential in the Chinese market,’’ Issa said.
“The entire ministry is working very diligently with the private sector to make sure that they have the right plans and the right products to sell to the Chinese market,’’ he said.
He added that he was very optimistic about the potential growth of the number of Chinese visitors in the future.
Issa took a tour inside the Egyptian Museum and inaugurated a temporary exhibition at one of the halls marking the World Tourism Day and 200 years of Egyptology.
This displayed a collection of statues of ancient scribes and ancient writing tools.
The ministry opened on Tuesday most museums and archaeological sites, including the Giza Pyramids, for visitors for free.
(Xinhua/NAN)
