DOHA – Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Issa said Egypt targets achieving an annual growth rate ranging between 25% and 30% in tourism, amid expectations the global tourism will be seeing a relative slowdown before returning to normal rates.
Delivering a speech on Thursday at the opening of the 26th session of the Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism in the Qatari capital, Doha, Issa added the Egyptian State is working to boost the role of the private sector in different economic sectors, including the tourism industry.
He stated the Tourism and Antiquities Ministry is keen on enhancing the quality of services offered to tourists and applying all health, safety and security standards, as part of a national strategy to develop tourism in Egypt.
The minister noted that the World Tourism Organization data showed that tourism in the Arab region surpassed the pre-coronavirus rates to register more than 20% during the period from January to September 2023.
He went on to say that this rebound in Arab tourism was driven by the high demand, facilitating entry visa measures in a large number of Arab countries, investing in new tourism projects and hosting large events.
Issa said that Arab tourism ministers agreed to present a set of recommendations before the Arab Ministerial Council, notably those related to supporting the Palestinian economy in the field of tourism, developing a joint Arab tourism product and enhancing the quality of tourism education and training programs in Arab countries.
He stressed his ministry’s keenness to foster tourist traffic among Arab states, through facilitating travel measures and harnessing all potential for this purpose.
