By Akram Medhat
Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Tourism, and Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), this morning opened the 45th meeting of the UNWTO Regional Commission for the Middle East, hosted by Egypt, represented by the Ministry of Tourism, in Cairo on March 24 and 25, under the auspices of Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly.
The opening was attended by Mohamed Al Muhairi, Advisor to the UAE Minister of Economy for Tourism Affairs and Chair of the UNWTO Regional Commission for the Middle East this year; the commission's two vice chairs, Iraq and Lebanon; Basmah Al Mayman, the commission's Regional Director; and Beka Jakeli, relations coordinator at the UNWTO, along with a number of tourism ministers and representatives from several countries, including Yemen, Oman, Lebanon, Libya and Saudi Arabia.
Dr. Khaled El-Enany, Minister of Antiquities, also attended, marking the first time an Egyptian Minister of Antiquities has been invited on the sidelines of a meeting of the organization, to review developments in cultural heritage during this period by speaking about recent archaeological discoveries and national projects in the field of cultural and civilizational heritage.
During the session, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat expressed her pleasure at Egypt hosting the meeting of the organization's Middle East commission for the second year in a row, after hosting it last May in Sharm El-Sheikh, which reflects the UNWTO's confidence in Egypt's ability to host major meetings and conferences.
She praised the patronage of Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly for this important event, which reflects the attention the Egyptian government pays to the tourism sector.
The minister stressed the importance of the role played by the UNWTO in strengthening tourism's role as an engine of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability, noting that the organization provides support to the tourism sector through updated information and policies that help advance the tourism industry worldwide.
She pointed to the fruitful and continuous cooperation with the UNWTO, most recently the use of UNWTO experts in updating the system of classification standards for Egyptian hotels.
In her speech, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat expressed her anticipation of the rich program included in the meeting's events, which was prepared in line with the recommendations of the previous Middle East commission meeting, hoping that this meeting will be a new launch pad for modernizing, upgrading and developing tourism in the various countries.
The minister referred to the Tourism Tech Innovation Forum, which will be held tomorrow on the sidelines of the meeting and will include the first national competition for tourism startups, organized by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism in cooperation with the RiseUp entrepreneurship platform to select projects and electronic applications that shed light on tourist landmarks and sites in Egypt and promote Egyptian tourism in new and innovative ways.
Dr. Rania Al-Mashat explained that two presentations will be given during the sessions. The first will review the structural reform program for developing the tourism sector in Egypt, which the ministry launched from the Egyptian parliament last November and which enjoys the support of the political leadership, the Egyptian government and all state bodies. It aims to achieve sustainable tourism development in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and through it the ministry seeks to change the stereotypical image of Egyptian tourism so that it becomes more modern and contemporary and keeps pace with global trends.
The minister added that the second presentation will be given by Dr. Khaled El-Enany, Minister of Antiquities, in which he will present recent archaeological discoveries and national projects in the field of cultural and civilizational heritage, noting that this comes as part of the keenness to exchange expertise and information by briefing the commission's members on the latest developments in Egypt in the fields of tourism and antiquities.
The minister said the events will also address the Secretariat's report on international tourism in 2018 and its forecasts for 2019, shedding light on the most important programs such as innovation and digitalization, investment and entrepreneurship, education and employment, and sustainable development in the fields of the environment and cultural and civilizational heritage.
She explained that among the important topics to be raised is also the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, with the aim of promoting sustainable and responsible tourism, which can be achieved by applying ethical principles and human values such as tolerance and respect for religious, cultural and social differences, noting that the Ministry of Tourism is about to cooperate with the Ministry of Education to implement a project aimed at applying tourism ethics and instilling these values in school students to create a generation aware of the importance of tourism to the national economy and of how to deal with tourists.
The minister indicated that these events confirm that this conference will be extremely important for all its members, especially as it coincides with the UNWTO General Assembly being held this year.
The Minister of Tourism concluded her speech by stressing the importance of the session to be held on the sidelines of the meeting, which will review success stories of government digital transformation in the tourism industry, with the participation of ministers and private sector representatives.
For his part, the Minister of Antiquities welcomed in his speech the commission's members and all participating country delegations, thanking Dr. Rania Al-Mashat for inviting the Ministry of Antiquities to take part in this important event.
The Minister of Antiquities gave a presentation reviewing the most important discoveries in Egypt over the past two years, noting that 3 archaeological discoveries will be announced before the coming month of Ramadan.
The minister spoke about the "Tutankhamun" exhibition held in the French capital, Paris, which opened to the public yesterday and runs until September 15, 2019, contributing to the promotion of Egyptian tourism.
The Minister of Antiquities also referred to the Grand Egyptian Museum project, which will open next year and will be Egypt's gift to the world, stressing that it is the most important cultural project in the world, as it will change the cultural map of all of Egypt, and noting that 46,000 artifacts have been moved to the museum, the most famous of which is the statue of Ramses.
Dr. Khaled El-Enany also spoke about the recent increase in the number of archaeological missions, which reached 25 Egyptian archaeological missions and 250 missions from more than 25 countries around the world.
He pointed out that the project to develop the Pyramids area is nearing completion, to make it a more civilized attraction for tourists and visitors.
During the session, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat reviewed the latest developments in inbound tourism to Egypt in light of the positive indicators achieved by Egyptian tourism, noting that Egyptian tourism witnessed a huge boom and recovery in 2018 and the beginning of 2019.
She presented the details of the five pillars of the structural reform program launched by the Ministry of Tourism last November to develop the tourism sector, which is based on a number of legislative, institutional and community development pillars, noting that the ministry's vision aims to achieve a sustainable tourism vision in line with the 17 goals adopted by the United Nations, through implementing structural reforms to raise the competitiveness of the Egyptian tourism sector.
During the session, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat stressed the importance of continuous cooperation and coordination among all ministries and bodies related to the tourism sector, foremost among them the Ministry of Antiquities, affirming the importance of cultural tourism, which is considered a fundamental type of Egyptian tourism.
The minister also noted that the attention paid to archaeological discoveries in places such as Luxor, Minya and Sohag sheds light on Egypt's different cities and highlights the diversity Egypt enjoys, which is in line with "Branding by Destination", one of the main pillars of the promotional campaign for Egyptian tourism, by showcasing the tourist and archaeological assets each city enjoys.
Regarding the Grand Egyptian Museum, the minister noted that it is the main cornerstone of the promotional campaign, as the ministry promotes it at all international exhibitions and forums in which it takes part.
The Minister of Tourism pointed out that tourism is one of the most important service exports of the Egyptian economy, noting that 70% of the world's exports are services, 30% of which are tourism exports, and that tourism is one of the fastest-growing economic sectors in the national economy and contributes significantly to job creation, as the employment multiplier in the sector is 1:3, meaning every direct job is matched by three indirect jobs.
For his part, Zurab Pololikashvili began his speech by noting that this is the first time one of the organization's regional commissions has met twice in the same country, stressing that holding the 45th session of the Regional Commission for the Middle East came in light of the success of the commission's previous session hosted by Egypt in Sharm El-Sheikh. He expressed his pleasure at the generous hospitality all participants received at the previous session, noting that it was one of the best meetings, and pointing to the continued success of the current session.
He also thanked Dr. Rania Al-Mashat for the hospitality he received during the dinner organized by the Ministry of Tourism yesterday in the Pyramids area to welcome the delegations participating in the meeting.
The UNWTO Secretary-General praised the structural reform program for developing the Egyptian tourism sector, explaining that it can be used as a model to benefit from and apply, pointing to the importance of implementing such programs on the ground, and stressing that for Egypt this is a successful step achieved in the Egyptian tourism sector.
He also pointed to the importance of the commission's meeting for all participating countries to discuss and review the latest developments in tourism in the Middle East region, and said the organization's theme for 2019 will be the year of education, skills and jobs.
He also expressed his gratitude for the attendance of Dr. Khaled El-Enany, Egypt's Minister of Antiquities, at this session, thanking him for his presentation introducing the great Egyptian civilization and the latest archaeological discoveries.
He also stressed that the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum at the end of 2020 is a wonderful event, as the museum embodies the great Egyptian civilization.
He also noted that the Middle East region was one of the fastest-growing regions in 2018, pointing out that the Middle East region is regaining its momentum in the recovery of tourist traffic.
He explained that the organization's goal is for the tourism industry to become more modern and focus on innovation and digital technology, pointing to the agenda of the Tourism Tech Innovation Forum scheduled to be held tomorrow on the sidelines of the meeting, which will include, for the first time, tangible projects and innovations on the ground.
