By Akram Medhat
Abdel Fattah El-Assy, First Undersecretary of the Ministry of Tourism and head of the Hotels and Tourist Establishments Control Sector, said the new hotel classification standards will be announced next June after they have been amended and developed, explaining that the tourism sector has undergone changes since 2010, when "we began setting those standards."
El-Assy added that a contract has been signed with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to bring in experts to develop the specifications, noting that once they are completed they will be circulated to hotels so they can adjust their status and begin applying them, with specific dates set for evaluation. He pointed out that new products such as serviced apartments and heritage hotels will be taken into account in the specifications so that they comply with international standards, also stressing that the financial circumstances of each establishment will be considered without overlooking the basics.
This came during a press conference held this evening, attended by the Minister of Tourism, the chairman of the Egyptian Tourism Federation, board members, the chairmen and boards of the five chambers, and MP Amr Sedky, head of the Tourism and Aviation Committee of the House of Representatives.
El-Assy stressed that the notion that Egyptian hotel specifications differ from those in other countries will disappear under the new standards, changing the saying "a 4-star hotel in Egypt means 3 stars abroad." He noted that the decline in tourist traffic over several previous years had led to a drop in the level of service at hotels.
