Egypt’s Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy and Italy’s Tourism Minister Gianmarco Mazzi in Rome met in Rome where they explored ways of strengthening bilateral cooperation and increasing tourist flows from Italy to Egypt.
The meeting came at the start of Fathy’s official visit to Rome and Milan, where he is scheduled to hold extensive talks with tour operators and airlines active in the Italian market.
Fathy congratulated Mazzi on his appointment and praised the warm welcome, noting the deep historical ties and growing cooperation between Egypt and Italy. Both ministers stressed the importance of building on strong political relations to expand tourism collaboration and increase visitor exchanges.
The discussions addressed the possibility of designing joint tourism packages combining Egyptian and Italian destinations, particularly for long-haul markets where travelers prefer multi-country itineraries.
Fathy highlighted Egypt’s diverse attractions, from coastal cities to Luxor, Aswan, Alamein, and the North Coast, pointing to a 15% rise in Italian arrivals between January and early June compared to last year, despite regional challenges.
He also reviewed Egypt’s major tourism investments in the North Coast, efforts to modernise tourism and hospitality training through specialised schools and international partnerships, and successful public–private models in managing services at archaeological sites and museums such as the Grand Egyptian Museum and the Giza Pyramids.
Mazzi expressed Italy’s openness to expanding co-operation, praising Egypt’s rich heritage and recalling his own visits. He cited the success of the “Treasures of the Pharaohs” exhibition in Rome as evidence of Italians’ strong interest in Egyptian culture.
He also welcomed collaboration in tourism education, noting the success of the Italian hospitality school in Hurghada and expressing interest in replicating the model in Cairo.
The meeting underscored both countries’ commitment to deepening tourism links, with Fathy extending an invitation to Mazzi to visit Egypt as soon as possible.
