Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Tourism, met Bahrain's Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism Zayed Al Zayani to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation between Egypt and Bahrain in tourism, on the sidelines of the 110th session of the UNWTO Executive Council, held in Azerbaijan from June 16 to 18 in the Azerbaijani capital Baku, stressing the Ministry of Tourism's interest in attracting more inbound tourism from Bahrain.
For his part, the Bahraini minister referred to the recent visit by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain, to Sharm El-Sheikh during the last Eid al-Fitr holiday, during which he directed that tourism cooperation between the two countries be increased, noting the Bahraini side's interest in driving tourism to Egypt and promoting it in general, not only in Bahrain but also through their networks and relations in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the Far East.
The Bahraini minister added that Gulf Air operates 19 flights a week to Egypt, to Cairo, Alexandria and Sharm El-Sheikh airports.
In a related context, Al-Mashat reviewed the new aviation incentive program launched by the ministry, which came into effect last November 1 and runs until April 2020, explaining that its most important criterion is not distinguishing between charter and scheduled flights. The new program also reduces and simplifies the administrative procedures and paperwork required for the incentive process and sets specific dates for applying and disbursing dues, ensuring clear, flexible and easy completion procedures.
The Bahraini minister said the world's largest diving theme park, World Diving Park, has been launched, adding that he wants to promote this project by creating a route passing through the world's most important diving spots, namely Sharm El-Sheikh and the Maldives.
In this regard, the Egyptian Minister of Tourism suggested adding Marsa Alam and Hurghada to those spots, and praised this cooperation, which will help draw the world's attention to the most important diving spots in Egypt.
