Egypt's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Issa reviewed his ministry's work plan and the most prominent axes of the national strategy for the development of tourism in Egypt along with the push for more tourism to Egypt at rate of 25 to 30%. This came during a session of the eighth CEOs Thoughts 2022 Conference on its second day, organized by Al-Mal GTM on 4 and 5 December under the title 'The Year of Grand Challenges.' Issa said that these axes were identified based on what was studied during the last period, especially with regard to the determinants that affect the supply side and face the tourism industry in Egypt, explaining that these axes include working to provide greater access to the Egyptian tourist destination and doubling the capacity of aircrafts in cooperation with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, improving the investment climate and encouraging tourism investments to increase hotel capacity and tourist transport fleets, in addition to working to improve the experience of tourists and raise the quality of services provided to them. The minister pointed out that work is being done on all axes of the strategy through the formulation of various plans to be agreed upon and implemented in coordination with other relevant ministries, agencies, and institutions. With regard to the demand on the Egyptian tourist destination, the minister reviewed the results of one of the marketing studies that were conducted during the previous period, explaining that it proved the presence of large numbers of potential tourists in the world for Egypt that could be attracted, and defined the potential tourists as those who have knowledge of the Egyptian tourist destination and desire In traveling to it and that when they visit it, it is expected that their level of satisfaction with the tourist experience will be good. Issa also talked about the ministry's public spending programmes, noting that the ministry aims to double public spending on promotional activities for the Egyptian tourist destination, as well as spending on developing archaeological sites and museums in Egypt, which contributes to providing a distinguished tourist experience for Egyptians and tourists, stressing the importance of realistic planning for the future and taking into account the current circumstances. Answering a question about ways to encourage investment in Egypt — especially in the field of tourism — the minister indicated that there is an integrated system in Egypt to encourage and create a better climate for investment in general, and that the ministry is part of this system, as it works in cooperation with civil work institutions in the tourism industry to attract more investments. The minister also pointed out the importance of working to enhance hotel investments in some Egyptian tourist destinations and regions, including Luxor, Aswan, and the northern coast based on the supply-demand equation for these destinations. Issa concluded his speech by expressing his aspiration for continued further cooperation with all business partners related to the tourism industry in Egypt, especially with the private sector.
