By Akram Medhat
Egypt plans to host the first African tourism and aviation exhibition from 12 to 13 November 2019 at the exhibition grounds of Al-Manara Center in the New Administrative Capital. The exhibition was announced during a ceremony launching the African Organization for Tourism and Development, attended by tourism experts from Egypt and the African continent.
The organizational structure of the African Organization for Tourism and Development was announced, chaired by MP Amr Sedki, head of the Tourism and Aviation Committee of the Egyptian House of Representatives, in the presence of more than 20 African ambassadors in Cairo, including the ambassadors of Kenya, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Mali, as well as tourism experts, representatives of the Egyptian-African chambers, the head of the parliament's African Affairs Committee and the deputy assistant foreign minister for African affairs.
Ambassador Wael Nasr, former assistant foreign minister for African affairs, was also chosen as the organization's official spokesperson. He stressed that establishing the organization and holding the first exhibition, which represents an African tourism exchange, aim to promote African tourism worldwide and to organize workshops between tourism companies from across the continent, boosting the success of efforts to attract tourists.
Nasr said the organization's goals include reviewing the challenges facing tourism in Africa, which suffers from mismanagement despite its tourism assets and is treated unfairly as Western tourism organizations control it and the number of tourists coming to enjoy its diverse types of tourism, noting that the lesson had been learned from the tourism crisis in Egypt in recent years.
Nasr affirmed that the expertise and capacity exist to build professional African tourism, increasing tourism investment and consequently raising rates of community development and infrastructure and improving the level of services in cities that attract tourists.
For his part, Amr Sedki, head of the Tourism and Aviation Committee of the House of Representatives, pointed to the joint cooperation between the House of Representatives, the Egyptian Parliamentary Friendship Association and bodies that cooperate closely with Africa to facilitate transport routes and trade and tourism exchange between African countries. He noted the Egyptian Minister of Civil Aviation's announcement that 3 to 5 new routes will be operated in Africa, with work under way to cover 54 countries instead of the current 24.
Sedki explained that Africa represents the strategic and security dimension for Egypt and the world, and that Egypt has regained its standing and leadership in Africa since President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi took office, not only at the political and diplomatic level but also in sport, as the Africa Cup of Nations will be held in Egypt, reflecting the level of safety and security the country enjoys and offering a golden opportunity to correct Egypt's image abroad.
Sedki stressed that tourism has become part of countries' trade balance and a means of pressure on governments, adding that what is happening now is a comprehensive look at Africa and cooperation in various fields. He noted that what Egypt has achieved in building roads, developing the Suez Canal Axis and other projects serves the growth of tourism by developing the local community and improving its infrastructure, with the benefits being reaped at the regional and international levels, supporting the global trend towards a sustainable tourism system.
Sedki stated that there are projects to link Cairo and Cape Town in order to develop intra-African trade, and that the Egyptian House of Representatives is currently discussing a law on health, medical or therapeutic tourism, a field in which the African continent has distinctive assets as it is rich in springs, rivers and health areas that rely on natural elements.
