Launch of the African Tourism Forum in Sharm El Sheikh with the presence of ministers and officials

22.05.2024 - 11:51 / traveldailynews.com / Ahmed Issa / Sharm El / Theodore Koumelis / Cooper

Participants rmphasized the importance of the tourism sector in developing national income resources.

SHARM EL SHEIKH – The African Tourism Forum (ATF24Egypt) kicked off in the Egyptian city of Sharm El Sheikh. Organized by the global Rixos Group and the Turkish GMT Exhibition and Conference Organizing Company, the event brought together numerous ministers, senior officials, and investors from the tourism sector in Egypt and other African countries. Also in attendance were African ambassadors, Egyptian and African businessmen, and more than 2,000 international tourism professionals from 35 countries.

This forum, the first of its kind in Africa, aims to enhance cooperation in the tourism sector among African countries, attract foreign investments, and create new job opportunities for African youth.

The opening ceremony was attended by Dr. Ahmed Issa, Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities; Major General Khaled Fouda, Governor of South Sinai; Fettah Tamince, Founder and Chairman of Rixos Hotels; Nasser Abdel Latif, Owner of Rixos Egypt; Selcuk Meral, Director of the Turkish company GMT; and Dr. Yousry El Sharkawy, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African-Egyptian Businessmen Association.

Fettah Tamince, Founder and Chairman of Rixos Hotels.

In his speech at the forum, Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Ahmed Issa, emphasized the importance of establishing and coordinating unified policies to maximize shared interests and enhance intra-African tourism. He stated that this forum serves as a professional gathering and an effective participatory platform to highlight the distinctive and unique tourism potential and products of the ancient African continent. It provides an opportunity to promote joint tourism cooperation among African countries and encourages experts, professionals, and investors in the tourism sector to collaborate in developing the tourism industry in Africa and enhancing its role in the global tourism sector.

Minister Issa pointed out that this forum and exhibition come at a time when our African continent is experiencing significant success in restoring inbound tourism levels, having regained 96% of its 2019 levels, according to the World Tourism Organization report. “The report described tourism in Africa as the fastest growing in 2023, which makes us all proud and motivates us to continue working on enhancing further mechanisms of joint African cooperation and integration to chart a roadmap for the tourism industry in Africa,” he added.

The tourism industry in Egypt has achieved positive results recently, thanks to the implementation of the National Tourism Development Strategy. This strategy includes a set of policies and general plans to develop