Egypt’s Deputy Tourism Minister Highlights Eco-Friendly Practices in Hotels

Deputy Minister of Tourism.

Yumna Al-Bahar, Egypt’s Deputy Minister of Tourism, participated as a guest of honor in a tourism session during the Egyptian-Tanzanian Forum on Trade, Investment, and Tourism. The forum was held in Cairo over two days under the theme “From the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean: Connecting Markets, Tourism, and Investment,” representing Minister Sherif Fathy.

The forum witnessed extensive participation from government officials from both Egypt and Tanzania, along with representatives from the private sector. Participants discussed ways to enhance joint cooperation in trade, investment, and tourism.

The tourism session featured Dr. Nader Al-Beblawy, Chairman of the Chamber of Travel and Tourism Companies, representing Egypt, and Dr. Hasani Abbasi, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism from Tanzania.

During her speech at the session, Al-Bahar highlighted Egypt’s success story as a distinguished global tourist destination. She pointed out the efforts made by the Egyptian government over recent years, particularly in the last decade, to develop infrastructure, improve transport networks connecting cities, enhance the investment climate, expand digital transformation initiatives, elevate tourism experience quality, and adopt sustainability and green transformation policies.

She also discussed the ministry’s promotional strategy focused on diversifying tourist markets to achieve balance and sustainability in inbound tourism. This includes diversifying tourism products that maximize Egypt’s unique offerings to meet the needs of various tourist segments and increase tourism revenues.

Al-Bahar addressed the state’s successes in tourism investment by showcasing efforts in developing tourist destinations with global demand. She highlighted government initiatives encouraging investment and legislative reforms that have improved the investment climate while introducing new accommodation styles aligned with modern global trends.

She noted ongoing efforts in digital transformation aimed at enhancing the tourism system and facilitating travel procedures to Egypt. Additionally, she emphasized using modern technological tools for tourism promotion and enriching visitors’ experiences at museums and archaeological sites.

Al-Bahar underscored the importance of partnership with the private sector, praising its role in supporting tourism development through financial, operational, and innovative capabilities. She highlighted that nearly 40% of licensed hotel rooms are adopting eco-friendly practices while coordinating continuously with relevant authorities to preserve biodiversity and protect terrestrial and marine environments.

Regarding human resources, Al-Bahar stressed that skill development and capacity building for workers in tourism and antiquities sectors are top priorities for the ministry. This includes organizing specialized training programs and collaborating with educational institutions to update curricula to meet labor market demands and advancements in the tourism industry.

She concluded her speech by expressing Egypt’s eagerness to enhance cooperation with Tanzania in the tourism sector to contribute to sustainable development and support economic growth in both countries.