Tourism, aviation ministers discuss action plan to boost Arab, domestic tourism

Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou met Friday with Civil Aviation Minister Hossam Kamal to discuss ways to increase the flow of tourists to Egypt and operate new airlines to support the tourism movement to the country.

During the meeting, Zaazou said that his ministry is focusing now on Arab and local markets to help it cope with the current crisis.

The meeting mulled roles to be played by the public relations department in this period and the importance of supporting the private tourism sector.

Promotional campaigns will be launched as of December with the aim to attract tourists around the world, especially in Eastern Europe, Maghreb countries and China, the tourism minister said.

Other campaigns with preferential prices will be launched to activate Arab and domestic tourism, especially with the beginning of the holiday season in December and January, he added.

The Tourism Ministry will also intensify contacts with various countries to get them to remove bans on flights to Sharm el Sheikh, Zaazou said.

He stressed the importance of Arab tourism, praising also initiatives launched by several agencies to restore the domestic tourism.

He also said that facilitating visa measures serves interests of the tourism sector.

The current coordination between the Tourism Ministry and the Aviation Ministry is going well, Zaazou said.

Tourism in Egypt contributes in total to about 13% of the economy, according to a report by the World Travel & Tourism Council. About 12% of jobs in the country are either directly or indirectly supported by the tourism industry, it estimated.