Japanese Ambassador to Egypt Takehiro Kagawa said that the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) has a great potential to boost tourism in Egypt, expecting that the GEM will play an active role in promoting Egyptian tourism with its business-oriented planning to attract more people from all over the world.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s third review staff report, Egypt’s tourism receipts are expected to increase to $11.2bn in the fiscal year (FY) 2018/19, compared to $9.1bn in FY 2017/18, while the Egyptian government recently announced its plans for opening the GEM in 2022.
The embassy of Japan held a workshop at the end of last week on marketing and promotion of the GEM and the Giza Plateau to revitalise Egyptian tourism, in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Board, and the Ministry of Antiquities.
The workshop was attended by approximately 100 people, including Ahmed Youssef, chairperson of the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Board; Tadayuki Hara, associate professor and senior research fellow at Dick Pope, Institute of Tourism Studies, and Rosen College of Hospitality Management, University of Central Florida; Takehiro Kagawa, ambassador of Japan to Egypt; and Egyptian and Japanese government officials and business experts.
Tarek Tawfik, general director of the GEM, mentioned that the museum has stepped up in a new way, as its tender process has just started to select an international company to deal with its facility management with a sense of hospitality.
Ahmed Youssef, chairperson of the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Board, stated that the GEM should not be regarded as mere a gigantic museum, and the GEM would be the centre to introduce Egyptian culture to other parts of the world.
Tadayuki Hara gave a lecture focusing on how to improve the value of tourism assets in Egypt and highlighted the importance of providing services in hospitality styles, adding, “Revenue can be created by creating wonderful memories.”
A panel discussion followed the lecture, featuring marketing and hospitality management strategies to increase destination attractiveness of the GEM and Giza Plateau.
