Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) expressed its country’s desire to benefit from the Egyptian expertise in promoting various tourism products such as cultural tourism and adventure tourism, which Saudi Arabia started to promote recently.
Ahmed Bin Aqeel Al-Khatib, SCTH’s chairperson, pointed out to the possibility of cooperation to attract more tourists to the Arab region through joint tourism programmes between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, during his meeting with Egypt’s Minister of Tourism, Rania Al-Mashat, on Wednesday.
In response, the minister welcomed the enhancement of cooperation between the ministry and the SCTH in the coming period.
She pointed out that adventure tourism has become one of the fastest growing tourist patterns in recent times, and the most prevalent among young people.
The meeting was held on the side-lines of Egypt’s participation at the annual conference of the Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth funds, entitled “Future Investment Initiative,” which was held from 29 to 31 October in Riyadh.
During the meeting the two sides discussed cooperation aspects between the two countries in the field of tourism and ways to activate inter-tourism (tourism that crosses national border).
The meeting also dealt with the possibility of cooperation between the two countries and the exchange of experiences in the field of sustainable tourism development as well as in the field of tourism statistics.
“The Arab market represents one of the most important markets for tourism to Egypt, amounting to 30% of incoming tourism, and Saudi Arabia comes on top of those markets,” said Al-Mashat.
She affirmed the depth of relations between Egypt and Saudi Arabia in all fields, pointing out that the Arab rapprochement opens wider horizons for cooperation between Arab countries, which will have positive impact in stimulating inter-Arab tourism.
In response, Al-Khatib pointed to Egypt’s place in the heart of the Saudi people, pointing to the desire of the Saudis to visit Egypt and enjoy its tourism potential.
The minister praised the efforts exerted by Saudi Arabia to develop its tourism sector, believing in its importance in supporting the economies of the countries.
She asserted that supporting the tourism sector in any Arab country would contribute to supporting the tourism sector in the region as a whole.
