The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities is planning new motivational and advertising programs to cope with the recent decline in the number of Spanish tourists visiting Egypt.
Ahmed Issa, minister of tourism and antiquities, met on Monday with a delegate of executives representing the three largest Spanish tourism companies operating in Egypt and they discussed future plans to boost the influx of Spanish tourists to Egypt.
Ehab Abdulal, tourism expert and member of the Egyptian tourism companies chamber, said “the minister’s meeting with the Spanish companies was highly important given the remarkably declining number of Spanish tourists.” “The meeting sent a message to the Spanish tourists that promotes Egypt as a safe country far from the deteriorating situation in Gaza,” he told “Asharq Al-Awsat”.
The Egyptian minister showcased the Spanish tourism influx index to Egypt and the mechanisms to improve it. He and the Spanish delegation also discussed the possibility of launching a joint advertising campaign that promotes the Egyptian tourism landmarks in several Spanish cities, the ministry said in a statement on Monday.
During his participation at the World Travel Market London in November, Issa said the influx of tourists to Egypt grew in October by 8 percent compared to the same period last year, adding that Egypt, as a tourism destination, hasn’t been affected by the Israeli war on Gaza. He also noted that bookings and reservations have been postponed until February 2024, and not cancelled.
Tharwat al-Ajami, head of the Chamber of Tourism Agencies and Companies, described “the meeting as a major step to recover the Spanish tourism in Egypt on a full scale.” “The cancellation of some flights in December and the war on Gaza have significantly affected the number of tourists in general, and mostly from Spain,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
He added that “the ministry reassured the Spanish companies that the major touristic landmarks such as Luxor, Aswan and Cairo are far from the war zone,” noting that “the companies’ representatives visited Luxor to make sure that the place is safe.”
During the meeting, Issa listened to the ideas and insights of the Spanish delegation on how to boost the number of Spanish tourists to Egypt, plan programs that serve this goal and increase the number of flights from Spain to Egypt.
“Spain, Portugal and South American countries are one block,” said Abdulal, adding that “tourists from these countries are interested in cultural tourism, so we must introduce a bundle of facilities to ensure their comeback.”
According to Issa, Egypt welcomed around 7 million tourists in the first half of 2023, the highest in the history of the country during that period, which indicates that Egypt is approaching its target number for this year, 15 million tourists, despite the war on Gaza and its impact on the Egyptian tourism industry.
The minister also highlighted Egypt’s participation in the forthcoming edition of the International Tourism Trade Fair (FITURE), in Madrid, and his will to hold discussion meetings with the concerned parties.
Abdulal called on the Tourism Development Authority to “organize similar meetings with other markets to boost tourism and prove to the world that Egypt is still on the tourism map.”
