Egypt holds meeting to improve sustainable tourism

Tuesday, August 8, 2023

In order to boost environmentally friendly and sustainable tourism products and control activities in natural reserves, a discussion was held between Yasmine Fouad, Egypt’s minister of the environment, and Ahmed Issa, minister of tourism and antiquities, on ways to improve their collaboration.

The meeting also discussed ways to strengthen team efforts to further incorporate environmental considerations into Egypt’s tourism industry, as well as strategies to confront and restrict poaching activities, get rid of any unethical behavior, and spread eco-friendly behaviors that help restore the ecosystem.

Fouad reviewed the key areas of the Ministry of Environment’s work to expand natural reserves, improve the standard of services, and integrate the neighborhood communities during the meeting.

She outlined the significant efforts her ministry has made in the field of ecotourism over the past four years, where a number of notable models, including adventure tourism, were presented. She also mentioned how the ministry has worked to improve the infrastructure and operational effectiveness of 9 developed natural reserves.

According to Fouad, a research is being conducted to allow tourist boats operating inside the Ras Mohammed Reserve to register for an annual permit to engage in the activity, which will help create a list of their numbers.

The environment minister emphasized the significance of promoting ecotourism by citing the “Eco Egypt” and “Stories from Its People” campaigns, which highlighted ecotourism in nature reserves and the local communities there with their unique cultures and history.

The Minister of Tourism, for his part, reaffirmed the ministry’s full readiness to work more closely with the Ministry of the Environment in the context of its role as the industry’s regulator and licensee in order to protect natural resources and environmental systems through their proper and effective exploitation.

Issa also looked at the work being done by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to legitimize the terms of a few mountain safari lodges in the South Sinai and Red Sea governorates, which apply to the tourism standards within the framework of the ministerial decision made in this regard, and to work on granting them licenses through the ministry.

Issa emphasized the ministry’s eagerness to take any and all steps necessary to guarantee that tourists and visitors have the distinctive travel experience they deserve, while also guaranteeing the application of all security and safety regulations.

As the first environmental hotels to be evaluated in accordance with the Egyptian requirements and standards approved for evaluating ecolodge hotels, the Tourism Ministry recently finished evaluating and licensing a number of environmental hotel establishments in Siwa Oasis, Matrouh governorate.

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