Egypt and Bahrain are preparing to implement joint tourism marketing programs in East Asia, with a focus on enhancing collaboration in tourism and archaeology. This initiative includes organizing temporary exhibitions of Egyptian artifacts in Bahrain.
On Monday, Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy and Bahraini Ambassador to Cairo Fawziya bint Abdullah Zainal met to discuss strengthening bilateral tourism and archaeological ties.
The officials highlighted the opportunity to boost tourism from East Asia to Egypt, particularly from China, pointing to Bahrain’s established flight connections to this region as a means to attract more tourists to both countries.
They also discussed means to organize professional meetings and workshops between tour operators in Bahrain, Egypt, and East Asia and enhance cooperation for hosting temporary exhibitions of Egyptian artifacts in Bahrain and improving efforts in artifact restoration, documentation, and archaeological excavations in the two countries.
In 2023, Egypt welcomed approximately 14.9 million tourists, representing a 27% increase compared to 2022, according to a statement from the Egyptian Cabinet. Egypt has a national strategy aiming to attract 30 million tourists by 2028.
Tourism expert Mohamed Karim emphasized that joint tourism marketing efforts between Egypt and Bahrain in East Asian markets could greatly enhance tourism flow to both countries.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Karim noted that the initiative aims to implement joint promotional campaigns and provide incentives to attract tourists from East Asia, which would positively impact the economies of both nations.
He also explained that the cooperation will involve the exchange of information and expertise, coordination of media and advertising campaigns, and the organization of familiarization trips for travel agencies and tour operators from East Asia.
