Anani convenes with UNWTO’s secretary-general via video conference

CAIRO – 24 June 2020: On June 23, Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled el-Anani met via video conference with Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Zurab Pololikashvili to discuss several important topics, including projects to support the tourism sector.

During the video conference, the minister reviewed the health and safety regulations issued by the ministry to operate hotel and tourism establishments, archaeological sites and museums, when the foreign tourism to Egypt resumes to coastal governorates as a first stage, starting July 1.

Anani also reviewed the incentives granted by Egypt to encourage major international tour operators to organize trips to coastal governorates. These incentives include the abolition of tourist visas for foreigners coming to tourist governorates until October 31, 2020, the extension of the current flight stimulation program until October 29, 2020, and giving airlines a 50-percent discount on landing and boarding fees and a 20-percent discount on ground services fees provided for direct flight to tourist governorates until October 31, 2020.

For his part, Pololikashvili praised the efforts made by the Egyptian state to support the tourism sector amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The secretary-general of the World Tourism Organization also informed Anani of the global requirements of health safety, commending the health safety regulations approved by the Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

The two sides are scheduled to meet through the Wiener App in early July during the meeting of the Middle East Committee.

During the meeting, the two sides agreed to intensify communication, especially at the technical level, to discuss various matters related to the advancement of the tourism sector, health safety controls and the precautionary measures followed.

At the end of the meeting, Zurab Pololikashvili invited Khaled el-Anani to attend the meeting of the Executive Board of the World Tourism Organization scheduled to be held in Georgia in September 2020, and the two sides exchanged invitations to visit each other.

It is worth noting that Anani had participated in two previous meetings with Pololikashvili, one in April, to discuss the policies of recovery in the tourism sector amid the coronavirus pandemic, and the other in May, to discuss the unconventional initiatives and solutions to revitalize the tourism sector.