WTTC Chair: Egypt is an ideal destination for global tourism, and the Suez Canal is a vital global corridor between Europe and Asia and an engineering masterpiece
Admiral Osama Rabie, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, announced that canal traffic today, Thursday, saw the transit of the cruise ship "Crystal Serenity", which is hosting on board the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Leaders summit 2026 in Egypt, highlighting the vital role the canal plays in the itineraries of the world's giant cruise ships.
The summit is being held in Egypt under the title "The Leadership Journey for Global Tourism Leaders: Recovery, Leadership and Prospects for Transformation in Travel and Tourism Over the Next Decade". This prominent international event brings together Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio, Chair of the World Travel & Tourism Council, and a select group of global travel and tourism industry leaders, including ministers, prominent decision-makers and company heads, alongside leaders of Egypt's public and private tourism sectors.
In this context, Admiral Osama Rabie expressed his pride in the selection of the Suez Canal as a main stop on the WTTC Global Leaders summit journey in Egypt, a clear message of the canal's growing importance in supporting global travel and tourism, as well as its main role in supporting the international trade community and securing smooth global supply chains.
The Chairman of the Authority stressed that the Suez Canal's hosting of this summit demonstrates growing confidence in the canal's ability and readiness to receive all types of cruise ships, especially as the authority has stepped up its efforts in recent years to introduce a package of new services aimed at meeting all the needs and requirements of transiting ships, as well as continuing navigational channel development projects and adopting flexible marketing policies to attract cruise passenger ships to transit the canal and call at Egyptian ports.
Rabie noted that the Suez Canal has made great strides in developing assets dedicated to tourism activities to strengthen its position as a pivotal hub for maritime tourism and logistics, having completed the development of the Suez Canal Yacht Marina in Ismailia to become Egypt's first model sustainable marina for yacht tourism that meets environmental requirements and standards as part of the authority's green transformation strategy. He also noted that the canal owns a number of historic sites that are among its tourist attractions.
For his part, Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio, Chair of the World Travel & Tourism Council, stressed that Egypt is an ideal destination for global tourism given its cultural and civilizational heritage, wonderful tourist attractions and hospitable people, inviting people to visit Egypt.
The WTTC Chair expressed his pride in meeting President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and his ambitious strategic vision, many of whose goals have been achieved, especially in infrastructure development. He also expressed his love for the canal, which made him enthusiastic about hosting the summit aboard one of the cruise ships transiting it, underlining the canal's importance as a vital global corridor linking Europe and Asia and an engineering masterpiece.
For his part, the ship's captain, Birger J. Vorland, stressed that the Suez Canal Authority spares no effort to upgrade the transit services provided to ships and ensure safe passage by assigning experienced and competent pilots, enabling everyone to work together toward one main goal: safe transit. He expressed his appreciation for the development of the canal's navigational channel, which has widened the canal, increased the dual-lane sections and eased the transit of giant ships.
In line with the authority's protocol, Admiral Osama Rabie assigned a number of senior pilots to board and guide the ship, and delegated George Safwat, the authority's official spokesperson, to give a presentation during the summit sessions on the authority's efforts to support tourism, welcome the WTTC Chair and present commemorative gifts.
It is worth noting that the cruise ship "Crystal Serenity" is 250 meters long and 34 meters wide and sails under the flag of the Bahamas, according to the official page of Egypt's Cabinet on Facebook.
