Dubai – The Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), known as Dubai Tourism, hosted a high-level delegation last week that included representatives from the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce and executives from 26 major tourism companies in Egypt. The visit is aimed at boosting cooperation between the two countries.
During the meeting held at the Palace Downtown Dubai, Ahmed Al-Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), welcomed the visiting delegation and wished everyone a pleasant stay in Dubai. He also thanked the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce for its efforts in contributing to organising this visit.
Al-Khaja explained that Dubai Tourism has given Egypt special attention in marketing campaigns due to the market’s newfound importance and promise. In recent years, the number of Egyptians visiting Dubai has increased by 9, from 169,000 visitors by the fall of 2018, to 184,000 visitors in 2019 so far, ranking 13th among the main export markets for visitors to Dubai.
On behalf of Ahmed El-Wakil, head of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, Suzanne El-Kholy, director of the Department of External Relations at the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, delivered a speech praising the close and historical relations between Egypt and the UAE.
She praised the strategic relations at all levels. El-Kholy pointed out that Arab tourism integration is a priority for the two brotherly countries. “The tourism sector is an important and vital sector, where Egypt has tremendous tourism potential and great hotel energies. The UAE also attaches great importance to the tourism sector and has become today the most attractive country for tourists at the Arab and international levels,” she added.
Moreover, Younan Edward, commercial minister plenipotentiary at Consulate General of Egypt in Dubai, stressed the importance of the Egyptian-UAE relations. He pointed out that the UAE is largest investor in Egypt, and the largest recipient of Egyptian exports. He pointed out that such forums and visits would contribute to enhancing fruitful cooperation between the two countries, especially in the tourism sector.
Meanwhile, Hossam El-Helou, head of Alexandria Chamber of Commerce’s Tourism and Aviation Division, said that the understandings that took place between the two parties would contribute to enhancing tourism cooperation, and that the next visit in February will see more Egyptian companies.
Hamda Al-Falahi, business analysis manager at Emirates Airline, confirmed that the airline is planning to add four regular flights a week to Cairo from 28 October, bringing the total number of flights to 25 weekly. This means an additional 1,416 seats in each direction on this vital line.
Both of Temima Nassir Kemal, Commercial Manager at flydubai for Sudan and Egypt, and Roy John, business development officer at Holidays by flydubai, spoke about the importance of the Egyptian market to flydubai, and highlighted the offers presented by flydubai to spend the most beautiful holidays in a range of distinctive destinations, including Egypt.
In addition to the workshops, the tour programme included visiting the most important tourist and leisure destinations in the UAE, such as Burj Khalifa, Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai Frame, The Green Planet, and the site of Expo 2020 Dubai.
