Following the recent normalization of diplomatic relations between Turkiye and Egypt, tourism activity between the two countries has increased significantly, with Egyptian authorities expecting to receive around 250,000 Turkish tourists by the end of the year.
This resurgence is evidenced by the significant increase in the number of tourists traveling to Egypt from Turkiye, thanks to the visa facilitation process for Turkish nationals, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported on Sunday.
On the other hand, attention to infrastructure projects to revitalize domestic tourism and the diversification of tourist destinations is also increasing interest in Egypt.
After a period of rift, relations between Turkiye and Egypt have grown closer in recent years, the most notable sign of which was President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Cairo earlier this year.
During the visit, President Erdoğan and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah El-Sisi signed a joint declaration on the restructuring of the Turkiye-Egypt High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council.
Amr El Kadi, CEO of the Egyptian Tourism Authority, told AA: “In the first four months of this year, we received around 80,000 Turkish tourists, but by the end of the year we will have 250,000 Turkish tourists.” “We expect Turkish tourists to visit Egypt.”
El-Kadi said that the Egyptian government has undertaken many initiatives regarding tourism, the most important of which are infrastructure projects.
“Working on improving infrastructure such as roads, highways, airports and hotels is good not only for the people but also for tourists,” he explained.
“Secondly, we have a new investment incentive for hotel construction. If you build a new hotel and do it quickly, we will pay you a portion of the interest rate,” he added.
He explained that by taking a loan and paying interest, the government would pay its share, in fact almost 40% of the interest, if it was built quickly.
El-Kadi also emphasized that there is also an aviation incentive program for tourists, which will cover some of the costs of airlines operating at Egyptian airports.
“Therefore, we make the cost of air tickets cheaper. This is how we encourage tourist arrival and make it cheaper,” he said.
Mr. Elkadi mentioned the ongoing infrastructure projects in Egypt and shared that 70% of these projects have been completed and in some regions.
“But we can feel it now and our roads are ready. Our high-speed rail will be operational within 12 months. We have a new capital that was built in just five years, ” he said.
“It has been a year since our office moved to this new capital. Most of the work is now nearing completion.”
They also discussed Egypt’s tourist programs. “We want to focus more on Sharm el-Sheikh. We also want to focus more on Gouna and Luxor, and we are giving more incentives for that,” El Kadi said of the country’s most popular tourist destination. mentioned some of them.
“Despite the situation in Gaza, the number of travelers has not decreased. Yes, this affects everyone. The war between Russia and Ukraine, and the subsequent situation in Gaza all affect travel But it didn’t have much impact in Egypt.
Mr. El Kadi also mentioned the existence of various products for the Turkish market.
