The Minister was joined by Luxor Deputy Governor Dr. Hisham Abouzeid, Chairman of the Board of the Hotel Establishments Chamber Mohamed Ayoub, and Executive Director of the Egyptian Tourism Federation Hala El-Khatib.
Ministry officials in attendance included Secretary-General
of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Assistant
Minister for Strategic Administrations and Acting CEO of the Egyptian Tourism
Promotion Authority Eng. Ahmed Youssef, Head of the Central Administration for
Hotel Establishments Mohamed Amer, and Minister’s Advisor for Communication and
Foreign Relations Rana Gohar.
The meeting reviewed Egyptian state efforts to encourage and
attract local and international investment to the tourism sector. Discussions
also centered on how to boost tourism investment and explored promising
opportunities in various destinations, including Luxor, Aswan, Sharm El-Sheikh,
Hurghada, El Alamein, and Marsa Alam.
Minister Fathy presented the general features of the ongoing
Strategic Master Plan to develop the area between Sphinx Airport and Dahshur.
He noted the area is rich with investment potential that would enhance urban
and tourism development, extending the scope of investment within Greater
Cairo.
The Minister stressed the need to expand the use of clean
energy within the tourism sector, emphasizing the critical importance of
public-private partnerships in this area. This focus is particularly vital for
promising regions like Marsa Alam, which is being transformed into a leading
destination for sustainable green tourism.
Fathy urged stakeholders to plan for the long term, looking
past the immediate goal of reaching 30 million tourists. He emphasized that
this target must be followed by continuous effort to maintain the growth rate
and achieve the highest number of tourists that Egypt deserves, given its
unique potential and resources.
The Minister also reviewed inbound tourism figures for the
first half of the year, which showed a nearly 22% increase compared to the same
period last year. He asserted that this growth reflects increasing confidence
in the Egyptian tourist destination despite geopolitical events in the region.
He also noted that the current summer season has seen a significant increase in
charter flight traffic to destinations such as El Alamein, Marsa Matrouh,
Luxor, and Aswan.
The meeting included an open discussion where the Minister listened to investors detail the main challenges facing their projects in various destinations. They exchanged views and proposed solutions to overcome obstacles and further enhance the tourism investment climate, aligning with state directives to support the sector and attract more local and foreign investment.