Egypt Wins Chairmanship of UNWTO CTS

Egypt won on Friday the chairmanship of the Committee on Tourism and Sustainability (CTS) of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). 

Egypt will be the committee's head as of January 2020 and for two years. 

Ghada Shalaby, the deputy minister for tourism at the Tourism and Antiquities Ministry, headed the committee's meeting today on the sidelines of the 40th edition of the International Tourism Fair (FITUR 2020), held in Madrid.

[caption id="attachment_105702" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Part of Egypt's Pavilion at FITUR[/caption]

Shalaby said the ministry is working on boosting the sustainable tourism at the Egyptian destinations in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), pointing out that Egypt started in turning its hotels into eco-friendly ones in 2007. 

"The ministry encourages hotels to obtain the Green Star Hotel (GSH) certificate, noting that there are 83 Egyptian hotels, consisting of nearly 20,000 rooms, having the GSH certificate. 

Moreover, Shalaby and Ahmed Youssef, the chairman of the Egyptian Tourism Authority (ETA), held meetings with representatives of major tour agencies, like Mundial tour, El Corte Ingles, TUI, TI Comunicações of Brazil, Piamonte of Argentine, and Spanish Halcón Viajes.

[caption id="attachment_105703" align="aligncenter" width="493"] Shalaby with Zurab Pololikashvili of UN WTO at FITUR[/caption]

The vice-minister also convened with the vice-president of the Confederation of Tourist Organizations of Latin America (COTAL), delegates of 5 Estrellas Club and Nuba Tours, and the Spanish Federation of Travel Agencies (CEAV). 

During the meetings, she affirmed that the Egyptian destinations have various tourism potentials, shedding light on the cultural tourism in Egypt, which doesn't only depend on visiting archaeological sites and museums, but it also includes interacting with the daily Egyptian life.