Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathy revealed that the nation’s tourism revenues have exceeded nine billion US dollars so far, and that over 10 million tourists visited Egypt by the end of July,
In an exclusive Tuesday interview with the “Kalema Akhera” (Last Word) program on ON TV, hosted by Ahmed Salem, the minister added that Egyptian tourism’s performance this year is “very good.”
Fathy noted that last year saw the entry of 15.8 million tourists, achieving a growth rate of six percent compared to the previous year.
The ministry has, for the first time, a comprehensive action plan for tourism marketing, he said, explaining that reaching 30 million tourists annually “is not a dream, but an achievable goal.”
Egypt currently has 235,000 hotel rooms, he noted, with the minister expressing his hope that 9,000 new rooms will be added before the end of the year.
He explained that the government is offering incentives to investors to build new rooms, in addition to the Holiday Home system, which allows residential units to be converted into hotels free of charge, thereby contributing to the increase in hotel capacity.
He also added that the ministry is working to establish an “Investment Opportunities Bank” to open up opportunities for the private sector.
The minister stressed the importance of encouraging companies to organize tourism events and festivals, especially in cities like Luxor and Aswan.
Fathy added that providing aviation incentives has led to a 160 percent increase in flights to Luxor and Aswan, expressing his desire to see summer festivals that will stimulate tourism in the two cities.
