Khaled El-Enany, Egypt's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, has met with Lutfi Rauf, Indonesia's Ambassador in Cairo, and his accompanying delegation, to discuss enhancing bilateral cooperation in the fields of tourism and antiquities. The meeting was also attended by Dalia Abdel-Fattah, General Supervisor of the International Relations and Agreements Department in the Tourism Ministry. The meeting tackled ways to increase the tourism movement between the two countries, and exchange experiences in the field of tourism and archaeological work, as well as investment in new tourist places. The Indonesian ambassador stressed the depth of relations between the two countries, expressing his happiness to assume his position in Egypt nearly a year ago, during which he visited a number of tourist destinations. He praised the beauty and diversity of Egyptian tourist destinations, and the ancient Egyptian civilization. He also praised the strictness of the precautionary measures that are applied at Egyptian archaeological sites and museums nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. International flights to all Egyptian airports were suspended on 19 March 2020 as part of government efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Inbound tourism only resumed on 1 July 2020 to three governorates as a first stage, namely the Red Sea, South Sinai, and Matrouh. Tourism activities in Luxor and Aswan resumed in early September 2021, with floating hotels allowed to resume work in October 2021.
