Egypt Wins 2019 International Leadership in Tourism Award, a First for the Middle East

By Akram Medhat

Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Tourism, received the 2019 "International Leadership in Tourism" award presented by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), in recognition of Egypt's efforts to strengthen the tourism sector and make it more robust and able to withstand shocks.

Gloria Guevara, President and CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council, and Chris Nassetta, Chairman of the council and President and CEO of Hilton Worldwide, presented the award to Dr. Rania Al-Mashat during the official dinner of the 19th WTTC Global Summit 2019, held from April 2 to 4 this month in the Spanish city of Seville.

The ceremony was attended by the Spanish government's Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism and the Mayor of Seville, in addition to a number of ministers from countries including Spain, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Bulgaria, Greece, Kenya, Slovenia, Chile, Colombia and the United States, along with members of the World Travel and Tourism Council and the CEOs of major global companies working in tourism.

This is the first time a country or minister from the Middle East has received this award from the World Travel and Tourism Council. Gloria Guevara, head of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), said the council, which represents the global private tourism sector, presents its annual awards in recognition and appreciation of governments' efforts to advance this vital sector in their countries and to formulate policies that lead to tourism development, creating a business environment that drives the private sector to further work and investment.

She added that the council grants the annual award in recognition of the efforts of countries or officials who have succeeded, through the policies and initiatives they have implemented, in raising the competitiveness of the tourism sector, and whose countries have shown resilience in the face of shocks.

In her speech upon receiving the award, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat said the Ministry of Tourism is now adopting a new direction, as the ministry has launched the structural reform program to modernize the sector and achieve sustainable tourism development by formulating and implementing structural reforms aimed at raising the sector's competitiveness, in line with global trends, and turning challenges into opportunities that can be used to develop the sector and make it more robust and resilient to shocks.

Al-Mashat expressed her happiness with the award, as the World Travel and Tourism Council's recognition of Egypt's efforts to advance the sector is a testimony and a medal that everyone is proud of. She dedicated the award to the Egyptian state, the team at the Ministry of Tourism and the private tourism sector, because success only comes through the combined efforts of all.

She explained that the Ministry of Tourism's biggest goal is for at least one member of every Egyptian family to work in the sector, whether directly or indirectly, and stressed President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's support for the structural reform program launched by the ministry to develop the tourism sector in Egypt, noting that the UNWTO recently presented His Excellency with the organization's shield in appreciation of his effective support for the tourism sector and the sector's contribution to Egypt's 2030 Sustainable Development Strategy.

The World Travel and Tourism Council had stated in a report that the Egyptian tourism sector succeeded in achieving a major recovery in 2018, recording 16.5% growth in tourism, higher than the global average growth of 3.9%.

The council also presented awards to the ministers of Argentina, Spain, Greece, Japan, Kenya, Indonesia and the United States in the fields of using technology, leadership in seasonal tourism, sustainable tourism development and ease of procedures at airports.