The town of Qurna, west of Luxor, recently held a musical and archaeological celebration in the house of Lord Howard Carter who, with the help of his sponsor, Lord Carnarvon, discovered the intact tomb of King Tutankhamun. The celebration was to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the discovery of the tomb of the ‘Golden King'. Minister of Tourism Hisham Zaazou, Minister of Archaeology Dr Mohamed Ibrahim and Governor of Luxor Dr Ezzat Saad attended the event. Also attending were many ambassadors and foreign guests, led by US Ambassador to Egypt Anne Patterson and the ambassadors of Russia, Greece, Singapore and Kuwait, in addition to grandchildren of English Lord Carnarvon and a plethora of archaeologists and foreign missions in Luxor. In his speech at the celebration on Thursday night, Zaazou stressed that Egypt is safe and secure for tourists visiting from all over the world. The Minister urged tourists of every nationality to come and visit Egypt, so as to enjoy the fine weather, safety and security, as well as the wonderful archaeological sites, the best in the world. He stressed that Egyptians are hospitable and love to welcome guests to their country, adding that he is optimistic that tourism will return to its normal levels, especially in Luxor and Aswan. “The Japanese tourists are going to come back in force to Luxor, as we have a contract with a number of Japanese airlines operating flights from Osaka," the Minister explained. He added that the Ministry of Tourism is looking to open new markets in order to boost the number of tourists coming to Egypt, saying that, when things return to normal, the sector will pick up rapidly. Zaazou expressed his concern at the protests and sit-ins in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the revolution, and other squares across the country, in the wake of President's Mohamed Morsi's decrees that give him sweeping powers. He said the protests might have a bad effect on the entire tourism sector nationwide, but he expressed his optimism that tourism will return to its normal levels soon, despite all the difficulties. “It is time to work hard and to go forwards, not backwards. The missions sent out and the efforts made by the Ministry of Tourism to reinvigorate the tourist sector in the past few months will soon bear fruit. “We are also busy developing the cultural sector in Luxor and Aswan, where the people have recently been suffering a great deal," he commented. The Minister called for the media to help boost tourism and to highlight good news, rather than bad news. “The media can play a vital role in boosting investments and tourism," he stressed. In related news, Zaazou recently attended the opening of the German IMEX workshop and exhibition. The Ministry of Tourism aims to promote meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) tourism by getting specialised Egyptian tourism companies to benefit from the German experience. He said that we want to use expertise from round the globe to boost the various sorts of tourism here. An extensive programme will be launched to promote tourism nationwide, Zaazou explained, adding that there will be campaigns to promote Luxor, Aswan and Sharm el-Sheikh, and tourist destinations in Cairo and Giza and on the North Coast. "The Ministry of Tourism is working around the clock to attract tourists to visit Egypt," Zaazou stated at the opening of the IMEX workshop, held in Cairo. Minister of Antiquities Mohamed Ibrahim said that the events happening in Egypt will not affect tourism, as Egyptians are kind and hospitable. “Egypt, despite all the problems at the moment, is safe and secure. I urge all tourists to keep on visiting Egypt and to enjoy its fabulous monuments," he stressed. US Ambassador Anne Patterson urged American tourists to visit Luxor, adding that there is a joint co-operation venture between the Egyptian and US governments for excavating and protecting monuments in Egypt, while there are a number of foreign archaeological missions working in different parts of the country. The Russian Ambassador also urged Russians and Europeans to come and visit Luxor, in order to enjoy Egypt's civilisation. “I am delighted to participate in the celebrations marking the anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb. I find the antiquities in Luxor fascinating," he explained.
