Egyptian Deputy Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ghada Shalaby told Asharq Al-Awsat that Saudi Arabia’s recent achievements in the tourism sector benefit all countries of the Arab region.
Shalaby pointed to the importance of cooperation between Cairo and Riyadh to develop integrated tourism programs, underlining the need for Egyptian and Saudi companies to strengthen their relations in this sector.
The Egyptian official said that her country aims to attract 17.5 million tourists by the end of 2024, and 30 million tourists in 2028, given its great tourism potential and ability to provide distinguished service at a reasonable price.
Inter-Arab Tourism
The Deputy Minister of Tourism and Antiquities pointed to the mutual cooperation between Riyadh and Cairo to develop intra-Arab tourism, with the aim to transform the Middle East region into a destination for international tourists.
Shalaby said that her country succeeded in attracting 15 million tourists during the past year, despite the geopolitical circumstances that affected the region and the world and the volume of tourism movement.
She highlighted the great interest that the Egyptian government attaches to this sector in terms of supporting, empowering and stimulating investment, revealing that tourism constituted between 11.5 and 15 percent of the domestic product in the past four years.
“There is a great understanding between the government sector in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, especially in the procedures provided to the Hajj and Umrah pilgrims and the established controls that are implemented through partners in the private sector, in addition to other mechanisms and controls that aim to attract tourists through specialized tourism companies,” Shalaby told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The Umrah Plus Program
Commenting on the steps taken to promote the Umrah Plus program, Shalaby said that the new product comes to maximize the facilitations offered to some nationalities to obtain a visa to Egypt, in order to visit diverse Islamic monuments and holy places.
“At the same time, those who come to Egypt can go to perform Umrah after the end of their visit,” she said, noting that two companies have forged an agreement to work on this new product.
The deputy minister stated that Saudi Arabia is at the top of the countries that lead inbound tourism to Egypt, in addition to other states such as Germany, Russia and England, which find Cairo an important tourist destination.
Electronic visa
Shalaby touched on the many facilities provided by Egypt to tourists, including an electronic visa for 180 nationalities, at the cost of $25, to those wishing to avoid the queues in the arrivals halls, as well as a 5-year visa, which can be obtained through the Egyptian embassy and consulates in the Kingdom, at a value of $700.
She stressed the importance of partnership with Arab countries to develop intra-tourism, which she described as crucial in attracting tourists coming from distant countries.
“Tourists often talk about going to Europe, where they go to France and from there to Germany, Spain, Austria and Switzerland. We, as Arab countries, aim to offer the same opportunity for tourists to come to the Middle East and go to Saudi Arabia and from there to the Emirates, Egypt, Jordan and the rest of the Arab countries,” she said.
The Egyptian Deputy Minister of Tourism and Antiquities spoke about the distinguished investment initiatives and opportunities provided by the government, including deductions and loans to complete tourism projects in the Pyramids and Sphinx area, as well as the vicinity of the Grand Museum.
