Egypt's Ambassador to Japan, Ayman Kamel, has opened a discussion panel, via video conference, on the Grand Egyptian Museum project and the most important Egyptian tourist attractions. This comes as part of the embassy's efforts to promote the project in various Japanese circles. The event was organized in coordination between the embassy in Tokyo, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Japan Center for International Cooperation (JICE), the Japan Tourism Agents Association (JATA), and the Tokyo University of the Arts (TUA). The ambassador affirmed the depth and uniqueness of Egyptian history, as well as the Egyptian-Japanese relations that extend back to the nineteenth century. He also pointed out that one of the most important pillars of the cooperation relations between the two countries is represented in the Grand Egyptian Museum project, with its significance and symbolism to the extent of the relationship between the two sides, praising the great role played by Japan in bringing this cultural edifice to light. The Egyptian ambassador also highlighted the extent to which the tourism sector has been negatively affected worldwide since last year as a result of the almost complete halt of the tourism movement in various countries due to the crisis of the spread of the coronavirus, which caused a severe decrease in the number of tourists, which resulted in the stopping of the influx of Japanese tourists to Egypt Therefore, the tourism promotion agencies should make more efforts aimed at resuming Japanese tourism to Egypt as soon as possible. The embassy also made a presentation on the current situation of the tourism sector in Egypt and the continuous improvement it is witnessing, as well as addressing the most important Egyptian tourist destinations, which vary between historical, cultural and recreational. The event witnessed the participation of representatives from the JICA office in Cairo, as well as JICE experts at the Antiquities Restoration Center of the Grand Egyptian Museum. It was also attended by Japanese tourism agents, as well as an audience interested in the Grand Museum project and tourism in Egypt. On the other hand, the ambassador delivered a lecture at the APA Shoheijuku Academy in which he also discussed the promotion of the Grand Egyptian Museum project, in addition to the most prominent features of Egyptian-Japanese bilateral cooperation, as well as the most important elements of attraction that Egypt represents for Japanese investments in various economic and commercial fields.
