Egypt, Huawei to sign protocol on tourism promotion

CAIRO - 5 April 2018: Huawei Technologies Chinese Company will promote Egypt’s tourism as part of a protocol set to be signed in April with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism, announced Minister of Tourism Rania el-Mashat during a Thursday press meeting.

Mashat said that Huawei Company, which is considered the largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer in China, has offered to promote Egypt’s touristic places in pictures on the new editions of its mobile phone.

Speaking about Russian flights’ resumption to Egypt, with the first Aeroflot Russian airline to land in Cairo on April 11-12, Mashat said that promoting tourism in the South Sinai city of Sharm el-sheikh is on the top of the ministry’s priorities. She added that “the Russian flights represented 30 percent of incoming tourism.”

When asked about the application of the electronic visa in Egypt, Mashat explained that constant meetings with the Ministry of Interior and other bodies are being held, since the implementation of the e-visa requires the installation of certain systems at airports.

The minister held Thursday’s meeting, titled “Tourism and Economy: A discussion Session”, to display a development vision to regain the sector’s success.

The new Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Egyptian Authority for Tourism Development, Ahmed Youssef, attended the meeting and pointed out his plans to further depend on social media and youth cadres to meet the sector’s demands and expand to new markets.

Mashat’s plans to promote the tourism sector and adopt sustainable tourism topped a high-level meeting led by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and a number of Cabinet officials on Monday.

The meeting discussed Egypt’s current tourism situation and how much tourism contributes to the country’s economy.

Mashat was appointed as minister of tourism as part of a January reshuffle that included, for the first time, six female ministers in Egypt’s Cabinet.