Every year, TTN nominates a winner for the regional World Travel Market London Global Leaders Award, as a Middle East media partner of World Travel Market.
This year, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism is our regional winner, having had the biggest impact on the travel industry in our region over the last 24 months. We are looking forward to celebrate the achievement of Ministry of Tourism Egypt, in front of more than 500 senior industry professionals, when we present the award to current minister of Egyptian tourism, Rania Al Mashat, this November 5 at World Travel Market in London.
The new Egypt structural reform programme (E-TRP) developed and executed within tourism has benefited the sector and contributed to the country’s remarkable resilience, with tourism receipts recording an all-time high.
Tourism revenues for Egypt accelerated by 28 per cent to $12.6 billion in 2018-19 – this has been the highest growth in the country’s history.
Increased security and consolidated airline connectivity have also led to increasing confidence from investors.
Earlier this year, Egypt won the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Champion Award at the 2019 Global Summit in Seville, Spain, for its significant leadership role in promoting tourism resilience, according to an official statement released by WTTC on April 4.
““I am a big fan of Rania. The growth in Egypt is fantastic, it’s in two digits and Egypt is one of the five countries in the world with this kind of growth,” president and CEO of WTTC, Gloria Guevara, tells
TTN.
Last month, the ban on UK flights to Sharm El Sheikh was lifted after four years of the unfortunate bringing down of a Russian operated Metrojet Flight. Improved security procedures, and close cooperation between the UK and Egypt on aviation security, means that commercial airlines could now be allowed to operate flights. Major tour operators are expecting the first charters to begin early next year.
Russia restored flights to Cairo in April last year after stopping all flights to Egypt in 2015, though flights to Sharm are still suspended. EgyptAir launched nonstop thrice weekly flights between Washington Dulles International Airport and Cairo International this June. Air Arabia Egypt launched a new flight from Sharm El Sheikh to Naples in Italy earlier this year. Azerbaijani National Airlines announced the resumption of a charter flight from Baku to Cairo and another regular flight to Sharm El Sheikh in July this year.
As the country readies for the opening of the much-anticipated $1 billion mega project of The Grand Egyptian Museum next year, we can only expect things to go onwards and upwards.
The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) in Giza will become Egypt’s largest museum and the world’s most extensive archaeological collection, spanning 50 hectares and exhibiting 100,000 artefacts, including the entire collection of objects recovered from the tomb of King Tutankhamen. The complex will also offer a conference centre, a 1000-seat auditorium, restaurants and a business centre. When it becomes fully operational, the development is projected to attract roughly five million visitors per year.
