(AFP Photo )
The Egyptian Travel Agents Association (ETAA) presented a memorandum to Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb to raise the tourism sector’s efficiency in the coming period.
The memorandum demanded the Cabinet reformulate the Supreme Council for Tourism.
Khaled Elmanawy, Chairman of the Board of Directors, said the council proposes recommendations and consultations in favour of the companies’ work. It also helps overcome the obstacles facing these companies.
Tourists coming to Egypt last year amounted to 9.9 million, providing an income of $7.3bn, a growth of $1.2bn compared to the previous year.
The ETAA also demanded the amendment of the ETAA law, just like the Cairo Chamber of Commerce’s, in order to invest in its resources.
President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi issued a decree for Law 22/2015, amending the Chamber of Commerce’s law, which allows them to invest in their resources. According to Elmanawy, the law was among the demands of the ETAA’s general assembly in the past few years. It would be amended so that resources would be invested in a way that is of benefit to the members.
As to the third demand, it concerns reviving the draft law for trade and electronic transactions.
Elmanawy said companies are ready to propose draft laws if they were asked to. The memorandum also referred to the electronic visa for entering Egypt.
The association demanded that the committee would study the draft law of the electronic visa, and outlined the association’s desire to participate in outlining the law and presenting its vision.
Another demand concerned the tourism transport entity, its issues, and stopping all laws of amending the customs law for limousine cars.
According to the ETAA, the tourism industry is trying to overcome obstacles and it will not improve if rates stayed at their current pace, since all tourism agencies working in the tourist transportation did not buy any new buses since January 2011.
On this matter, the association demanded that opportunities be opened to import new buses from abroad. The new buses which will be bought will be two to three years old, and offered at convenient prices.
As to the Hajj pilgrimage, the ETAA requested that it alone be the organiser in Egypt for Hajj travels, like the minor pilgrimage, as the most capable in terms of efficiency and organisation.
The association demanded that travel agencies’ situation be legalised. The agencies included would be the ones without licence. Agencies violating the laws would be closed or supervised, in order to monitor their performance. These procedures will be undertaken to maintain Egypt’s tourist reputation internally and externally. Regarding the unified tourism law, the ETAA demanded that the draft law be completed as soon as possible and that it participates in its form.
