Egypt has world’s best hotel investment opportunities – Minister

Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Ahmed Essa, said Friday that his ministry works to modernize Egypt’s tourist product.

The Egyptian tourist strategy in this regard, the minister said, has started paying off.

The minister’s remarks came during a seminar organized by the Centre for Middle East Studies in Paris.

Called ‘Egypt … Dawn of Conscience’, the seminar is held at the ancient French Le Creon hotel, which overlooks an ancient Egyptian obelisk, the seminar is organized on the margins of the opening of the Ramses II Exhibition at the Grand Halle de la Villette. The exhibition will last for five months.

Attending the event is a host of dignitaries, including Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Ahmed Essa, leading Egyptologist, Zahi Hawass, and Egypt’s Ambassador to France, Alaa Youssef.

A host of chief editors of French newspapers attend the seminar, along with several French MPs, senior politicians and Egyptologists.

Minister Essa said over 400,000 French nationals prepare to visit Egypt this year.

“This is the highest number of French tourists to visit our country since 2011,” the minister said.

He noted that over 500,000 French tourists visited Egypt in 2010.

To cope with the current growth in the number of tourists, the minister said, Egypt needs to establish 300,000 additional hotel rooms.

He added that the Arab country has 220,000 hotel rooms only at present.

“Therefore, investment opportunities in Egypt’s hotel sector are among the best in the country and in the world,” Minister Essa said.