Spain and Japan have requested that Egypt restart tourism in Luxor, as tourists from the two foreign countries expressed their interest to visit one of the world’s most important travel destinations.
Mohamed Osman, Chairperson for the Committee of Marketing Cultural Tourism in Upper Egypt, told Daily News Egypt that Spain and Japan have sent official requests to accelerate Luxor’s reopening.
Osman revealed that the committee is preparing a major cultural event that will mark Luxor’s reopening to tourism, although further details have yet to be given.
On the resumption of tourism to Luxor, he added, “We have held a meeting 15 days ago with the director of the Minister of Tourism’s office in Luxor, and in the presence of the governor, where we demanded that the Ministry take the steps to announce the date of Luxor’s reopening for tourism. Luxor and Aswan witness recently low numbers of new COVID-19 cases and high recovery rates.”
Osman expects the announcement on Luxor’s reopening to tourism to be made in the coming few days. The step will give company owners the opportunity to undertake external promotions for the city, and attract tourists for the winter season.
He explained that the longer the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities delays the announcement of Luxor’s resumption in its tourism activities, the greater the delay in tourists travelling to the city will be. If the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities makes the announcement in the coming days, Luxor will likely see tourists return in October. If the date for the reopening was announced in October, the first flights would be in January.
Osman praised the ministry’s procedures for dealing with the pandemic, and for the steps it has taken in training employers at Egypt’s tourism establishments. He also highlighted the training given to employees at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on how to deal with tourists during the pandemic.
He revealed that to date, 14 hotels and five restaurants in Luxor have received the health and safety certificate required by the Egyptian government to reopen. The health and safety certificate verify that tourism establishments and hotels have taken the appropriate steps to ensure the full safety of visitors and employees amid the novel coronavirus.
