Plans to restructure Supreme Council of Tourism: prime minister

Ministers and governors met to discuss plans aimed at advancing the economy by improving tourism

After a meeting with the Tourism Commission on Tuesday, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said that there are currently plans to issue an order to restructure the Supreme Council of Tourism to enhance its role in supporting tourism.
Ismail added that for the first time the private tourism sector was included in the meeting to plan, along with the government, the execution of a "big" promotional plan aimed at promoting beach tourism, historical tourism, safari tourism, and medical tourism.
The goal of this plan is to improve tourism through traditional and advanced means, while relying on the expertise of internationally "renowned" tourism marketing agencies, Ismail said.
The plan aims to improve the image of Egypt in the targeted markets, Ismail added.
Additionally, the meeting emphasised the need for the creation of awareness campaigns that alert people to the importance of tourism and how much this sector affects the economy, Ismail added.
During the meeting, the needed accreditation towards establishing the Sharm El-Sheikh Museum was given, and Ismail agreed, upon request, to decrease the prices of flights for targeted markets.
Furthermore, Ismail stressed the need to train employees to raise the quality and efficiency of the tourism sector.
Ismail also requested to take the necessary steps to promote tourism in Luxor and Aswan. He promised to look into the possibility of opening both the Luxor Museum and the Egyptian Museum at night to attract more guests, especially after the "enormous" efforts that were exerted to bring the glory of the long gone "civilization" back to life, Ismail added.
The meeting was attended by the ministers of Civil Aviation, Finance, and Antiques, as well as governors of South Sinai, Red Sea, Luxor, Aswan, and representatives from tourism companies.