Tourism Minister Mohamed Yehia Rashed has said that his ministry is overhauling the operations of its various wings through new training and development plans on an institutional level.
As Rashed attends the international tourism forum in Dubai this week, expectations are raised for a proactive plan to recover Egypt's languishing tourism sector.
Rashed said that a ministry action plan is well under way to restore tourism and re-draw the negative image Egypt has acquired in recent years. He indicated that a brand new Egyptian tourism website will be launched in 30 days' time, with 14 language options, designed to make online trip bookings easy.
He said that the Ministry is coordinating with the aviation sector to boost inbound tourism through operating more airlines. Taking part in the forum, according to Rashed, is a good chance to meet with representatives of airline companies to exchange viewpoints over operating more airlines in Egypt.
Germany’s fourth-biggest tour operator, FTI, suspended its trips to Egypt upon a disagreement between its officials and Rashed, on the sidelines of the forum. Ali Okda, the company’s executive chief in Egypt, said “The suspension of the trips comes down to the arrogance of Minister Yehia Rashed, who refused to listen to the requests of the trip organizers.”
Meanwhile, Rashed has indicated that the ministry is pushing for progress in the field of environmentally friendly tourism, urging the hotel sector to begin using clean energy options.
Rashed highlighted efforts to encourage indirect as well as direct investment in Egyptian tourism. He expected the number to reach 10 million tourists by the end of 2017.
The investment, and the estimated increase in tourists, will be warmly welcomed by a country that saw a 66 percent decline in tourism revenues between the end of 2015 and the first quarter of 2016. According to Reuters, Egypt's total touristic earnings amounted to just US$500 million, down from last year’s $1.5 billion. Ministry adviser Adla Ragab informed Reuters that during the first quarter, the headcount of tourists dropped from 2.2 million in 2015 to 1.2 million.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
