Khaled El-Anany: "Egypt has never given so much importance to its culture and heritage"

Tourism has been one of the sectors most affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Severe travel restrictions led to a sharp decline in tourists since March 2020. In the first five months of that year, international tourist arrivals fell by 56% and $320 billion in tourism exports were lost, according to the World Tourism Organization. For this reason, countries where this sector is a major player are planning measures to restore the pre-pandemic situation. According to a UN report, tourism accounts for more than 20% of the gross domestic product (GDP) of many countries. Moreover, in these nations, the impact of COVID-19 on tourism threatens to increase poverty and inequality and undermine natural and cultural conservation efforts, the UN warns.

Egypt is one of the countries where tourism is vital to the national economy. As a result, Cairo has begun to develop reforms aimed at boosting safe tourism that will allow the country to return to favourable pre-pandemic figures. Nevertheless, Egypt has remained one of the world's top tourist destinations this year. From January to May, Egypt received 1.8 million tourists, according to figures from the Ministry of Tourism. Sixty-five per cent of the travellers visited cities located on the Red Sea coast, where "the lowest COVID-19 infection rates in the world have been consistently recorded," says the Ministry.

The Egyptian government is committed to safe tourism that complies with health measures. For this reason, and with the aim of promoting Spanish tourism to Egypt, the minister in charge of the sector, Khaled El-Anany, held a press conference at Casa Árabe. Also present was Yousef Mekkawy, the new Egyptian ambassador to Spain.

Mekkawy was in charge of opening the meeting, giving an overview of the Minister of Tourism's professional career. El-Anany studied archaeology, holds a doctorate in Egyptology from the University of Montpellier in France and has taken part in several expeditions to the country. He has also played a key role in the construction of the Great Egyptian Museum.

El-Anany, who is also the Minister of Archaeology, as the two sectors have been merged, began his speech by stressing that all measures presented by tourism are regulated by the Ministry of Health, by national chambers of commerce and by international companies working in the sector. The Egyptian government has even created its own seal to certify the sanitary hygiene of the country's facilities. This seal consists of a hieroglyphic symbolising life, prosperity and health. "This is what tourists need after the pandemic," said El-Anany.

The minister announced that a vaccination certificate or a negative PCR test is required to enter the country, which can be done at the airport on arrival. If during the trip a tourist becomes infected and has mild symptoms, he can stay at the hotel, which will take care of his stay. On the other hand, if their condition worsens, they will be provided with the necessary treatment at an Egyptian public hospital free of charge. "We have no complaints about this, on the contrary, the number of tourists is increasing," El-Anany said. "This indicates our commitment to COVID-19 measures," he added. On the other hand, all workers in the tourism sector are vaccinated, and in places like Luxor and the Red Sea, their families have also been vaccinated.

El-Anany showed a graph showing the number of tourists in recent years. From 2011 onwards, there was a significant reduction due to the situation in the region because of the Arab Spring. In 2016 the same happens due to a Russian plane crash in Sinai. However, in 2017 the situation improved "thanks to stability", the minister stressed. As for the current year, 2021, the number of tourists is improving month by month, something that "indicates commitment and confidence". "We hope that 2022 will be even better," the minister said. So far, health authorities have not detected any cases of the new Omicron variant. El-Anany described the national health structure as "quite solid and an example in the region".

Within Egypt there are various types of tourism for all ages and budgets. Travellers from Spain, in particular, are more interested in cultural tourism, although there is also a significant amount of beach tourism along the Red Sea coast. This region has stunning beaches, deserts and protected areas. Sustainable tourism is beginning to be developed in these areas, as it is necessary to maintain the areas and the natural riches, such as the corals and the native fauna. In this regard, the minister recalled that next year Egypt will host the World Climate Conference.

In areas where beach tourism predominates, museums have been built during the pandemic. "This makes it possible to swim in the sea in the morning and visit museums in the afternoon," the Egyptologist explained. El-Anany recommends that tourists interact with Egyptian citizens, a "friendly and hospitable" people. He also called Egypt "a young country proud of its culture".

More than 200 archaeological tourist sites in Egypt are open, while 1,500 are closed for work. Other monuments, such as mosques, synagogues and monasteries, are under renovation and others have already been completed. All these processes are funded by the Egyptian government. "Egypt has never before given so much importance to its culture and heritage," he said.

The Ministry of Tourism is also seeking to promote the Holy Family tour. "Egypt had the honour of sheltering the Holy Family", and for this reason, monuments and sacred sites have been inaugurated with the aim of attracting pilgrims who want to simulate this journey.

Finally, he recalled recent tourism events in Egypt, such as the parade that transported mummies from the Cairo Museum to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation and the reopening of the Great Avenue of the Sphinxes in Luxor. He also assured that 2022 would be a special year for Egypt. In 1822 the Rosetta Stone was discovered, which allowed the decipherment of hieroglyphs; 100 years later, in 1922, the world's greatest discovery was made: the tomb of Tutankhamun.  "Every 100 years Egypt gives a gift to humanity," El-Anany concluded, and recommended a visit to the country in the coming year.

The press conference was closed by Enrique Sancho, director of FEPET (Spanish Federation of Tourism Journalists and Writers). "Spain loves Egypt and has very good relations with the country," Sancho told the ambassador and the minister.