Sisi Receives UNWTO Secretary-General, Egyptian Minister of Tourism

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi received Monday Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili and Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Dr. Khaled Al-Anani.

The Spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency, Bassam Rady, stated that President Sisi welcomed Mr. Pololikashvili in Egypt, the first country he has visited since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Sisi praised the continuous support the World Tourism Organization provides to the tourism sector, internationally and regionally, and the efforts it makes to help the tourism industry recover from the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

"The President pointed out the axes of the strategy pursued by Egypt to help tourism recover while adhering to all precautionary measures adopted by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in coordination with all concerned parties," said Rady.

These efforts aim at achieving a balance between helping tourism in Egypt recover and ensuring the health and well-being of tourists and workers in the tourism sector.

Sisi Reviews Egypt's Efforts Amid COVID-19

President Sisi also discussed the measures taken by the state to support the tourism sector, whether at the structural level through merging the ministries of tourism and antiquities or at the level of tourism projects and destinations.

These projects include both the already existing and underway ones such as Galala City, Al-Alamein City, Culture and Science City in New Administrative Capital, the Grand Egyptian Museum, and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.

Rady stated that the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization expressed his honor to meet with President Sisi.

On his part, Pololikashvili praised the Egyptian efforts to gradually help tourism recover, as well as the unprecedented support provided by the Egyptian state to the country’s tourism sector.

He noted that tourism is one of the Egyptian economy’s vital pillars. He added that the state’s support of the tourism sector was evident during the pandemic.

Moreover, he pointed out that the government has given grants and incentives and offered facilities to help investors in the tourism industry deal with the repercussions of the crisis.

Pololikashvili also expressed the UNWTO’s aspiration to enhance its cooperation with Egypt so as to benefit from Egypt with regard to developing the tourism system through institutional reform at all levels.

He said that Egypt is the only country in the world to merge the ministries of tourism and antiquities into one entity.

Therefore, the government has ensured that Egypt’s various tourism destinations would be made use of to the utmost and their level of competitiveness would increase.

The Egyptian Spokesman added that, during the meeting, the recent prominent tourism projects in Egypt have been presented. These projects include tourist destinations in new urban cities and various museums. The development process of Historic Cairo was also presented.

Pololikashvili made it clear that he has seen some of these megaprojects that are being established according to the finest standards with regard to construction and the field of tourism. He also praised the health situation in Egypt, in light of the fact that Egypt’s COVID-19 recovery rate has jumped.