Egypt's Ministry of Tourism said on Monday new standards for services at Egyptian hotels are being rolled out in an effort to raise the the country's competitiveness as a tourist destination. This came during a press conference attended by Minister of Tourism Rania Al-Mashat and Minister of Environment Yasmin Fouad, as well as the head of Egypt's Hotels Association Maged Fawzi and the governors of Cairo, Giza, Red Sea and South Sinai and the head of the Egyptian Travel Agencies Association. Al-Mashat praised the level of cooperation between the Ministry of Tourism and the World Tourism Organisation to achieve the goals of the Egyptian tourism structural reform programme. Upon the launch of our structural reform programme in 2018, the ministry focused developing the tourism sector's infrastructure and increasing the efficiency of workers in the field through technical and professional training, the minister said. Minister Al-Mashat also thanked Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly for his continued support of the tourism sector. The minister added that new services have been introduced to attract more tourists including apartment hotels and eco lodges. She added that existing hotels, floating hotels, retreats and camps have been renovated, pointing out that the ministry will allow monitoring agencies to monitor tourist establishments to ensure quality. Al-Mashat affirmed that updating hospitality services is crucial for raising the competitiveness of the Egyptian tourism sector. The minister stressed that the new upgrades are the result of continuous work over several months by the Ministry of Tourism in cooperation with its private sector partners, as well as the fruitful cooperation with the World Tourism Organisation. The secretary-general of the World Tourism Organisation Zurab Pololikashvili stressed that the new hotel rating system will make the tourism sector in Egypt more competitive. In a televised speech directed to the conference, the official said the new system will better update users on places of entertainment while planning their vacations. “The new system will help push forward economic development in the country and create more jobs,” he noted. Source: Ahram Online & MENA
