Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, held a meeting with Peng Jianhu, Chairman of the Board of China's Gaund Holding, one of the international companies specializing in building, operating and managing river and sea cruise ships, to discuss opportunities for joint cooperation in developing Egypt's Nile tourism product, in the presence of Hossam El-Shaer, Chairman of the Egyptian Tourism Federation.
At the start of the meeting, the minister congratulated the Chinese delegation on establishing their company in Egypt, highlighting the importance of the Nile tourism product, which the ministry is working to develop in light of its strategy to showcase the diversity of tourism types and products in the Egyptian destination, so that it becomes the world's leading destination in terms of the diversity of these types and products.
The minister stressed the importance of the Chinese market for Egyptian tourism, in light of the tangible increase in the number of tourists arriving from China during the past year, and the ministry's aspiration for this growth to continue in the coming period.
For his part, Peng Jianhu reviewed the company's volume of business and its future plans in Egypt, noting their aspiration to establish a long-term strategic partnership in developing Nile tourism, including building and operating a number of eco-friendly Nile floating hotels equipped with the latest technology, drawing on their expertise in designing and operating this type of hotel around the world. He also noted that the company has begun taking the necessary procedures to launch its first floating hotel in Egypt, with work under way to launch five floating hotels as a first phase.
At the end of the meeting, the minister invited the company to submit a detailed study outlining its vision and executive plan for developing the Nile tourism product in Egypt, to be reviewed by the ministry, affirming the ministry's readiness to cooperate in a way that serves the achievement of common goals and the development of this promising tourism product.
Attending the meeting from the ministry were Mohamed Amer, Head of the Central Administration of Hotel Establishments, Shops and Tourism Activities, and Ahmed Nabil, Assistant Minister for Aviation and Follow-up.
