On Monday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi held a meeting with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, and Dr. Khaled El-Enany, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, according to the Presidency spokesman, Bassm Rady.
In a statement, Rady said that President Sisi reviewed the national activities and projects being carried out by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
During the meeting, the President ordered the completion of all works on tourism and archaeological projects nationwide, stressing the importance of keeping coordination and integration among the various concerned bodies, within the framework of the state's strategy to restore the historical luster of the Egyptian archaeological sites.
Sisi also directed the Tourism and Antiquities Minister to start a comprehensive restoration works for archaeological sites, especially in Greater Cairo, to serve as an open museum with an aesthetic and organized character similar to major global capitals.
Notably, El-Enany has recently announced that Egypt’s tourism sector is eyeing a gradual recovery after revenues plunged by nearly 70 percent to $4 billion in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
He noted that the number of tourists visiting Egypt sank to 3.5 million last year from 13.1 million in 2019, adding that the foreign occupancy rates in Egyptian hotels dropped to just 10-15% of 2019 levels.
Tourism accounts for up to 15 percent of Egypt’s national output, and is a key source of foreign currency.
Officials have been unveiling new archaeological discoveries in an effort to revive visitor numbers, and hope the delayed opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum next to the pyramids, expected later this year, will help the sector recover.
"Of 1,200 hotels, 700 have licenses to operate under current health restrictions," said Enany.
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