As part of the Egyptian Tourism Federation's efforts to attract more international conferences and boost conference and incentive tourism, the federation received the official committee of Rotary International, headed by Shannon Watson, during their visit to Egypt to discuss Egypt's potential to host the Rotary International Convention in 2029 or 2031.
The delegation was received by Dr. Nader El-Beblawy, Chairman of the Chamber of Tourism Companies and a board member of the Egyptian Tourism Federation; Mohamed Ayoub, Head of the Chamber of Hotel Establishments and a member of the federation's board; Karim Mohsen, Karim El-Minabawy and Tamer El-Shaer from the board of the Chamber of Tourism Companies; and Hala El-Khatib, Executive Director of the federation.
The delegation was accompanied by Dr. Mayan Raslan, former Governor of Rotary Egypt and head of the bid committee for the Rotary International Convention in Cairo; Mohamed Delawar, former Governor, adviser to the bid committee and Rotary's representative to the Arab League; and Ayman Nazih, a former Governor. The discussions covered the bid submitted by Rotary Egypt in cooperation with the Egyptian Tourism Federation and the relevant chambers, which highlights Egypt's full readiness to host this major international event.
The two sides reviewed Egypt's unique tourism, cultural and entertainment assets, which won the admiration of the committee members, especially as such international conferences help strengthen Egypt's position on the global map of conference and incentive tourism.
They also discussed mechanisms to facilitate the entry of more than 20,000 participants expected from around the world, including visa arrangements, and the preparation of diverse tourism programs for the delegations and their companions.
Before the meeting, the delegation toured the Al Manara International Conference Center, where its members expressed their admiration for the center's advanced facilities. The possibility of allocating an office at Cairo International Airport to facilitate guest reception procedures was also discussed, along with providing modern tourist transport services for the comfort of participants.
It is worth noting that several cities and world capitals are competing with Egypt to host the convention, namely Barcelona in Spain, Dublin in Ireland and Delhi in India, with the destination to be decided initially during Rotary's annual meeting scheduled for next January. If Egypt is favored, the relevant committee will begin arrangements in cooperation with the competent Egyptian authorities, with the organizer of the convention to be announced a year before it is held.
The Egyptian Tourism Federation stressed that hosting this international event represents a strong boost to the Egyptian economy and tourism and reflects the confidence of international institutions in Egypt's standing and its ability to organize major global events, in addition to being a powerful promotional tool that helps increase tourist numbers in the years following the convention.
