Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, held a meeting with a number of officials from Switzerland's École hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL), one of the oldest and most renowned academic institutions in the world in the field of hospitality and hotel management.
During the meeting, the group's plans to develop universities and institutes specializing in tourism and hospitality in Egypt were reviewed, along with opportunities for cooperation in preparing and implementing technical and vocational training programs for workers in the tourism and hotel sector, in cooperation with leading international universities and educational institutions.
The meeting also reviewed the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities' strategy for human resource development and capacity building, and discussed ways of cooperating with EHL in this framework, including the possibility of establishing a branch of the school in Egypt in coordination with the ministry and the private sector.
For his part, the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities reviewed the ministry's vision and strategy, which focuses on highlighting the unique diversity of Egyptian tourist destinations, with the aim of making Egypt the world's leading destination in terms of the diversity of tourism products and types within the next 4 years.
Fathy affirmed that qualifying and raising the efficiency of human resources is one of the main pillars of the ministry's strategy, noting the importance of training in modern technology and artificial intelligence, and explaining that the ministry has already begun using these technologies in data analysis and promotional campaigns.
He pointed to the launch of the "EgTap" platform, which offers a range of training programs and online lectures to raise the efficiency of workers in the tourism and antiquities sector in Egypt.
The minister also touched on the Italian Hospitality School in Hurghada, which was recently opened in cooperation with the Italian Ministry of Tourism and the private sector to provide vocational training for young Egyptians according to the highest international standards, affirming that this successful experience could be replicated with other international hotel schools such as Lausanne.
He noted the ongoing cooperation with Egyptian faculties and institutes of tourism and hotels to combine theoretical academic education with practical training, in coordination with hotel establishments, to prepare students and graduates for the labor market.
He spoke about the ongoing cooperation between the Chamber of Hotel Establishments and Lobster Ink, a company specializing in training, as well as cooperation with a number of prestigious international universities in the field of hospitality, such as "Lyon" and "Les Roches."
Sherif Fathy affirmed the ministry's readiness to provide full support to initiatives aimed at developing human capital in the tourism sector, especially in hospitality and hotels, adding that the ministry aims to double hotel capacity in Egypt within the next 5 years.
He also pointed to the launch of the new accommodation type known as "Holiday Homes" units, for which regulatory controls have been approved, stressing the need to comply with quality, safety, cleanliness and occupational health standards inside these units.
For their part, EHL officials affirmed their keenness to learn closely about the requirements of the tourism industry in Egypt, so as to design specialized education and training programs that meet the needs of the public and private sectors, for both employees and managers in hospitality.
They expressed their aspiration to strengthen cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Egyptian tourism sector in education and training, noting that the school relies on combining theory with practical field training in line with labor market needs.
A number of representatives of Egypt's private tourism sector took part in the meeting, in the presence of Rana Gohar, the minister's adviser for communication and external relations and general supervisor of the ministry's General Administration for International Relations and Agreements, and Dr. Soha Bahgat, the minister's adviser for training affairs.
