Studying the selection of Sharm El Sheikh, with its advanced sports facilities and infrastructure, as a pilot project
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy met Minister of Youth and Sports Gohar Nabil to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation between the two ministries on a number of issues of mutual interest, helping to support sports tourism and make the most of the sports and youth facilities and capabilities of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
Fathy stressed that there are promising opportunities to strengthen cooperation between the two ministries in the coming period, in line with the strategy of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the developments in its tourism marketing and promotion system.
The minister also reviewed the main pillars of this strategy, explaining that its vision is based on highlighting the unique diversity of Egypt as a tourist destination and its wealth of varied tourism types and products, including sports tourism.
For his part, Gohar Nabil stressed the Ministry of Youth and Sports' keenness to continue coordination and cooperation in the coming phase to implement joint projects that support sports tourism and make the most of the country's assets, in line with Egypt's sustainable development vision. He pointed to Egypt's modern and advanced sports infrastructure, which qualifies it to host major international championships, events and training camps.
The meeting reviewed the assets of sports and youth facilities in tourist cities and the services they offer, which make them destinations capable of hosting championships, events and sports training camps for international teams and national squads in Egypt, strengthening its position as an integrated tourism and sports destination.
The two ministers also discussed ways to make use of the advanced sports infrastructure in Egypt's tourist destinations, helping to diversify the tourism product and strengthen Egypt's position on the sports tourism map.
The two sides agreed to form a joint working team to coordinate efforts between the two ministries and set clear implementation mechanisms, as well as to study selecting Sharm El Sheikh, with its advanced sports facilities and infrastructure, as a pilot project, paving the way for rolling out the experience to other tourist destinations with similar assets. This will strengthen integration between the two ministries and help turn these facilities into integrated youth, sports and tourism destinations offering a distinctive experience to visitors and participants in international championships and sports camps, supporting Egypt's position as one of the leading sports tourism destinations.
In this context, they stressed the importance of offering an integrated sports tourism experience that is not limited to promoting a specific sports facility in a particular destination, but extends to the various assets, activities and tourism products of the destination, adding value to the visit through visiting archaeological and tourist sites or practicing marine and leisure activities, as well as linking the destination easily and quickly with other nearby or complementary destinations.
They also agreed to prepare a comparative analytical study of the leading competing countries in sports tourism, to benefit from best practices and assess the project's chances of success.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports owns 1,500 rooms in tourist cities and 1,600 rooms in non-tourist cities, including Sharm El Sheikh, Hurghada, Luxor, Aswan, Abu Qir in Alexandria, Port Said, El Arish, Ras El Bar and the New Valley, as well as a number of youth innovation and learning centers, youth forums and camps across the governorates, supporting the hosting of youth and sports events, programs and camps.
