Egypt and India should work together to enhance cooperation in tourism.
This statement by Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Eissa came in his speech Wednesday night during an event organised by the Embassy of India in Cairo and the Ministry of Tourism to encourage Egyptian tourists to visit India.
The minister congratulated the Indian side on the occasion of the country 77th Independence Day.
Eissa described relations between the two countries as
`exceptional` which culminated in President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi visit to India last January and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Cairo last June.The Indian Prime Minister visited the pyramids, Al-Hakim Mosque and the Commonwealth cemeteries in Heliopolis, the minister said.
Tourists from India should be encouraged to visit Egypt, as well as Egyptian tourists to visit India, as tourism plays a major role in strengthening relations between peoples and countries, the minister added.
Tourism worldwide was affected by the Covid-19 epidemic, but it has now recovered, including in Egypt, Eissa said.
The minister spoke of the launch of the Egyptian tourism promotion strategy.
For his part, India's ambassador to Cairo Ajit Guptih stressed the importance of boosting and encouraging co-operation between the two countries in the tourismsector as a way to strengthen bilateral relations between India and Egypt.
He said that India and Egypt are linked with a common history, and the two countries are proud of being among the oldest civilisations in the world.
The past two years represent a new phase of friendship between the two sides, which he called the "strategic partnership”, the envoy said.
In 2022, there were many high-level visits from the Indian side, starting with the visit of the Indianq Minister of Defense in September, followed by the visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs in October, and then the visit of the Minister of Environment in November, the envoy added.
He went on to say tourism has a great ability to unite these two countries and strengthen their old ties.
“The tourism rate between the two countries is currently low. Hence, we need to explore the huge potential in this field,” the Indian ambassador said.
He stressed the importance of working to raise awareness among people about the opportunities available in the tourism sector in both countries, explaining that during his time in Egypt, he visited many amazing cities, including Luxor, Aswan, Sharm el-Sheikh and Alexandria which are all tourist attractions.
“ Similarly, we have a valuable treasure of tourist attractions in India, which is called the land of ‘Unity in Diversity’,” the Indian ambassador noted.
He reviewed all the tourism potentials of his country, including medical tourism, as the revenues of this sector in India are estimated at approximately $6 billion.
He voiced hope that events to encourage tourism between both countries will increase the number of tourists between the two countries.
