The inaugural Africa Tourism Forum opened Monday, bringing together tourism professionals from over 20 countries to discuss the continent’s vast potential and chart a path for sustainable growth.
Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Ahmed Issa, opened the forum by highlighting Egypt’s recent achievements in tourism, including a record number of visitors in 2023. He emphasized the importance of establishing unified policies to enhance intra-African tourism and promote collaboration among African nations.
“This forum serves as a professional gathering and an effective participatory platform to highlight the distinctive and unique tourism potential and products of the ancient African continent,” Issa stated. “The report described tourism in Africa as the fastest growing in 2023, which makes us all proud and motivates us to continue working on enhancing further mechanisms of joint African cooperation and integration to chart a roadmap for the tourism industry in Africa.”
Issa attributed Egypt’s recent success to the implementation of the National Tourism Development Strategy, which aims to achieve an annual growth rate of 25% to 30% and attract 30 million tourists by 2028.
Selçuk Meral, the Founder and President of the Africa Tourism Forum, expressed his delight in hosting the event in Sharm El-Sheikh, noting Egypt’s crucial role as a gateway to Africa. He emphasized the importance of developing tourism in Africa and fostering collaboration between continents.
Yasser Abbas, Vice President of Egypt’s General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), discussed the investment opportunities in Egypt’s tourism sector and emphasized the importance of creating a welcoming environment for international tourists and investors.
Additional speakers, including Khaled Fouda, Governor of South Sinai, and Yousry El-Sharkawy, President of the Egyptian African Businessmen Association, highlighted the forum’s significance for Africa and stressed the need for cooperation and investment to unlock the continent’s tourism potential.
Fettah Tamince, the founder of Rixos, praised the significance of the African Tourism Forum and personally recommended Egypt as a tourist destination, suggesting that Egypt could attract 60 million tourists annually.
