Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, held a meeting during his current visit to Luxor Governorate with a number of tourism sector investors from Luxor, Aswan and several coastal tourist cities, as part of the ministry's keenness to strengthen direct communication with investors and support the tourism investment environment across Egyptian destinations.
During the meeting, the efforts made by the Egyptian state to encourage investment and attract local and international investors to the tourism sector in Egypt were reviewed, in addition to discussing ways to boost tourism investment and reviewing the promising opportunities available in various Egyptian tourist destinations, including Luxor, Aswan, Sharm El-Sheikh, Hurghada, El Alamein, Marsa Alam and others.
In his remarks, the minister reviewed the general features of the strategic master plan currently being implemented to develop the area between Sphinx Airport and Dahshur, explaining that the area is rich in promising investment opportunities that would boost its urban and tourism development and expand the scope of investment within Greater Cairo.
The minister stressed the need to expand the use of clean energy within the tourism sector, underlining the importance of partnership between the public and private sectors in this field, particularly in promising areas such as Marsa Alam, in order to help transform them into leading destinations for sustainable green tourism.
The minister also called for deeper and more comprehensive thinking and planning for the phase after achieving the target of reaching 30 million tourists, stressing that this goal must be followed by a permanent and continuous effort to maintain this rate and achieve the highest level of tourist numbers that Egypt deserves in light of its distinctive tourism potential and assets.
During the meeting, the minister also reviewed indicators of inbound tourism to Egypt during the first half of this year compared with the same period last year, which saw an increase of nearly 22%, stressing that this growth reflects the growing confidence in Egypt as a tourist destination despite geopolitical events in the region, and noting that the current summer season has seen a notable rise in charter flights to a number of Egyptian tourist destinations, especially El Alamein, Matrouh, Luxor and Aswan.
The meeting also included an open discussion between the minister and the investors, during which he listened to the main challenges facing the implementation of their projects in various tourist destinations, with views exchanged and proposals put forward to overcome obstacles and strengthen the tourism investment environment, in line with the state's approach to supporting the sector and attracting more local and foreign investment.
The meeting was attended by Dr. Hisham Abu Zeid, Deputy Governor of Luxor; Mohamed Ayoub, Chairman of the Chamber of Hotel Establishments; Hala El-Khatib, Executive Director of the Egyptian Tourism Federation; Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities; Eng. Ahmed Youssef, Assistant Minister for Strategic Departments and Acting CEO of the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority; Mohamed Amer, Head of the Central Administration of Hotel Establishments, Shops and Tourist Activities; and Rana Gohar, Advisor to the Minister for Communication and External Relations and General Supervisor of the ministry's General Department of International Relations and Agreements.
In this context, Ehab Abdel Aal, Treasurer of the Egyptian Tourism Federation, stressed the importance of the visit made by Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, to Luxor Governorate, which included inspecting a number of hotels, floating hotels and dahabiyas, and discussing issues related to the Nile tourism product.
Abdel Aal added that the visit was not limited to field tours, but carried great symbolic significance with the minister's opening of the tomb of Amenhotep III in the Valley of the Kings, after nearly two decades of restoration and development work, an achievement that reflects the scale of the effort made by the state to showcase its archaeological treasures to the world and strengthen Luxor's position as the world's largest open-air museum.
Abdel Aal stressed that the visit comes at an important time, especially with the start of the winter tourist season, which represents the real peak of inbound tourism to Luxor and Aswan, noting that the minister's keenness to meet investors and sector representatives reflects a clear vision to strengthen cooperation between the government and the private sector to advance Nile tourism as one of the most important tourism products that distinguish Egypt as a destination globally.
He explained that the minister's inspection of hotel and floating establishments and his listening to all investors across different star ratings and categories is a practical step to follow up on the quality of services provided to tourists and to see first-hand the challenges facing companies operating in this vital sector, helping to develop practical solutions that ensure higher operational efficiency and an improved tourism investment environment.
Abdel Aal also praised the great efforts made by Mohamed Amer, Head of the ministry's Central Administration of Hotel Establishments and Chairman of the Committee for Evaluating Hotels, Floating Hotels and Nile Dahabiyas, and the committee's team, through meticulous field visits and objective evaluation of establishments, which are a key pillar in ensuring higher quality of the Egyptian tourism product and offering an accommodation experience in line with the highest international standards.
The Treasurer of the Egyptian Tourism Federation noted that the Nile tourism product needs greater support in terms of developing docking berths, upgrading floating hotel fleets and improving related logistics services, stressing that the ministry's commitment to listening to investors' problems on the ground sends a message of confidence and reassurance that the government is serious about addressing these challenges and opening new horizons for growth.
