Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled el-Enani revealed that President Abdel Fattah El Sisi follows up antiquities and tourism projects closely.
The unprecedented archaeological openings that took place in Egypt in the past period, he said, were all instructed by the president. “The president follows up on every small and large archeological and tourism project,” el-Enani said.
“He always instructs all government agencies to offer whatever support is needed so that we can bring light to Egypt’s great civilisation,’ he told the Middle East News Agency (MENA) Editor-in-Chief and Board Chairman Ali Hassan in an interview.
He noted that the plan of the procession of the royal mummies that took place in April this year was presented to President Sisi four times before the actual procession was organised.
He added that the president introduced several changes to the plan, which contributed to creating the final fascinating parade that was viewed on TV by millions around the world.
“The president’s attending the ceremony to transferring the mummies form downtown Cairo to their new home in the southern part of the Egyptian capital sent a message confirming his interest in tourism and antiquities,” el-Enani said.
He added that the president also gave instructions to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to facilitate procedures at hotel and tourist facilities.
Along with these instructions, the minister said, the president also invites all world dignitaries to visit Egyptian tourist sites, which contributes significantly to promoting these sites around the world.
El-Enani underscored the importance of security for tourism, saying that President Sisi’s administration succeeded in bringing order and security back since taking over in mid-2014. ‘This has contributed to the consolidation of the pillars of the Egyptian state, which was positively reflected in the restoration of the incoming tourism movement,” the minister said.
He noted that Egypt succeeded in making remarkable progress in 2017 and 2018, when it came to hotel occupancy rates. El-Enani added that Egypt also succeeded in improving its image.
He said the visits paid by German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, Chinese President, Xi Jinping, and former American first lady, Melania Trump, to the Giza Pyramids were a wonderful promotion for the Egyptian tourism sector.
El-Enani described the transfer of the solar boat of King Cheops from the Giza Plateau to the Grand Egyptian Museum thousands of metres away as a ‘resounding success’.
He said the expertise of antiquities workers at Grand Egyptian Museum and the Engineering Authority of the Armed Forces contributed to the success of the transfer of the boat. ‘The relocation of the boat sent a message about Egypt’s keenness on the protection of its archeological heritage,” el-Enani said.
He noted that his ministry was keen to organise a major celebration on the sidelines of the relocation process to invite attention to the great work behind this process.
El-Enani revealed that his ministry would organise a major celebration in the coming period also on the occasion of reopening the Grand Avenue of Rams in Luxor.
‘We will also organise another celebration for the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum,’ the minister said.
Discussion about this post