Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, continued his official meetings during his current visit to the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, holding a meeting with Stasa Kosarac, Deputy Chairman of the Bosnian Council of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations and official in charge of the tourism portfolio, to discuss a number of important issues that would serve the interests of the two countries in tourism.
Following the meeting, the two ministers signed a memorandum of understanding for joint cooperation in tourism between the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to strengthen frameworks of joint cooperation in the tourism sector. The two ministers praised the importance of the memorandum, which will be the starting point for opening wider prospects for cooperation between the two countries in tourism.
For his part, Sherif Fathy expressed his appreciation for the warm welcome he has received since arriving in Sarajevo, stressing the Egyptian state's keenness to develop relations with the Bosnian side in various fields, especially tourism, given its importance to the national economy and its role as a soft power that strengthens ties of cooperation and communication between countries, noting that there are many opportunities for cooperation between the two countries in this field.
He also pointed to the importance of communication and the exchange of views between the Egyptian and Bosnian sides at both the government and private-sector levels, noting the possibility of organizing familiarization trips for representatives of Bosnian and Egyptian tourism companies to introduce them to the tourism products and experiences in both countries, as well as organizing tourism roadshows and workshops between the private tourism sectors of the two countries to boost two-way tourism and strengthen cooperation in tourism investment.
He also discussed the ministry's promotional strategy and the international campaign it launched under the slogan "Egypt... Unmatched Diversity", which highlights Egypt's unique tourism products, as well as the reliance on modern promotional tools, especially those based on artificial intelligence, to support Egypt's international marketing campaigns.
The minister also spoke about the positive performance of Egypt's tourism sector in 2024, and the growth achieved in the first quarter of 2025 compared with the same period last year.
For his part, the Deputy Chairman of the Bosnian Council of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations and official in charge of the tourism portfolio referred to the friendly relations between the two countries, expressing his aspiration to develop relations between them in the coming period and to increase two-way tourism between Egypt and Bosnia and Herzegovina, noting that his country enjoys numerous tourism assets.
He also noted that his country will participate in Expo 2027, to be held in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, and that it will be an opportunity to promote Bosnian and Egyptian tourism, congratulating Sherif Fathy on the agreement with the Serbian government to organize a temporary exhibition of ancient Egyptian antiquities during the Expo, and stressing that it will be an important platform for countries' tourism promotion.
He also stressed the importance of the tourism sector to the Bosnian economy, noting that his country is currently working to develop this important sector. He added that Sarajevo hosts the Sarajevo Film Festival every August, inviting the minister to have the ministry take part in the festival next year. Sherif Fathy welcomed the idea and the possibility of the ministry's participation in the festival through the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority.
The two ministers also discussed the possibility of cooperation in training and benefiting from Egyptian expertise in tourism and hospitality. Sherif Fathy stressed that the ministry attaches great importance to developing human resources in the tourism sector, and that it is working with tourism and hotel faculties in Egypt to develop education and training systems for students, unify concepts related to tourism work, and link academic and theoretical education with training and practical experience.
For his part, Ambassador Walid Haggag, Egypt's ambassador in Sarajevo, noted that the signing of the memorandum of understanding would give a strong boost to existing cooperation between Egypt and Bosnia and Herzegovina and contribute to increasing two-way tourism between the two countries, adding that this momentum also comes at a time when bilateral relations are witnessing great momentum and mutual interest in developing all frameworks of cooperation in various fields of shared priority, especially economic relations, trade exchange, diplomatic consultations, defense cooperation and cultural exchange, in addition to tourism, which represents a cornerstone of the long-standing relations between the two countries and their peoples.
At the end of the meeting, Sherif Fathy invited the Bosnian minister to visit Egypt, and he welcomed the gracious invitation. The meeting was attended by Eng. Ahmed Youssef, Assistant Minister of Tourism and Antiquities for Strategic Departments and Acting Head of the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority, and Wael Shiha, Deputy Ambassador of Egypt in Sarajevo.
