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Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

World Tourism Forum Selects Egypt as Model for Confronting Crises


Fri 03 May 2019 | 02:31 PM
Hassan El-Khawaga

The World Tourism Forum, held in Lucerne, chose Egypt as a model for overcoming crises.

This came during an urgent session, in which Tourism Minister Rania Al Mashat participated, on the status in Sri Lanka aftermath the deadly terror attacks which left hundreds of people, including tourists, dead.

In the presence of Aradhana Khowala, NEOM’s managing director of tourism, and Gloria Guevara, president and CEO World Travel and Tourism Council, Mashat reviewed Egypt's efforts in overcoming crises over the past years and turning them into opportunities to benefit from them.

https://twitter.com/wtflucerne/status/1123940045436616704

"The effective cooperation between the public and private sectors helped in country's tourism recovery," Mashat said.

The minister pointed out that Egypt had worked on transferring the real image abroad and sending messages that the country is safe and secure.

"Egypt had witnessed high levels of security," she added, citing Gallup's poll in which Egypt was ranked 16th safest country out of 135 countries in the World.

[caption id="attachment_48901" align="aligncenter" width="620"]Mashat in World Tourism Forum's Session Mashat in World Tourism Forum's Session[/caption]

The session aimed to show the expertise of the countries, which were targeted by terror attacks, and ways of overcoming them.

During the session, the participants contacted the Sri Lankan tourism minister via video conference who expressed his sorrow over the terror blasts in his country, stressing that his country would overcome the crisis.

Guevara, on her part, said that terror attacks are not only the worst accidents which negatively affect tourism but also political uprisings and natural disasters.

Honoring Egypt comes after receiving WTTC Global Champion Award at the 2019 Global Summit in Seville and in recognition for its efforts in prioritizing security.

[caption id="attachment_48903" align="aligncenter" width="661"]World Tourism Forum Session World Tourism Forum Session[/caption]