Egypt’s Ministries of Environment and Tourism are cooperating to implement a sustainable tourism strategy and transform Sharm Sharm El-Sheikh into a green city, according to a Sunday Cabinet statement.
This came during a meeting between Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad and Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled El-Anany on the preparations for the 27th Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP 27) in Sharm El-Sheikh.
Fouad said that the meeting tackled measures to implement environmental standards in hotels, restaurants, and the eco-hostel guide.
The minister explained that the meeting also dealt with the measures that will be taken to raise the efficiency of hotels within Sharm El-Sheikh and the steps for them to obtain the green mark.
The meeting also dealt with preparations for eco-tourism trips that will be implemented for delegations to visit archaeological sites in Egypt during the summit. These trips will extend outside Sharm El-Sheikh to Luxor, Aswan, and Cairo.
Furthermore, Fouad stressed the importance of the global promotional campaign that the ministry is currently implementing, which presents Egyptian success stories in the field of addressing climate change and highlights the transformation of Sharm El-Sheikh into a green city, which will encourage eco-tourism in Egypt during the coming period.
For his part, El-Anany stressed the full readiness and keenness of the ministry and the entire Egyptian tourism sector to make every effort to contribute to the success of the COP 27.
“Just as our ancient ancestors respected the environment, we are following in the footsteps of our ancestors to achieve sustainability for future generations,” El-Anany added.
He explained that an action plan is being developed to transform Sharm El-Sheikh into a green, environmentally friendly city. This will be achieved after all the hotels, tourist facilities, and diving centres obtain the green certificate from one of the approved international or local bodies.
He added that work is underway to convert the various types of licensed tourist vehicles that operate within the city of Sharm El-Sheikh into environmentally friendly energy-powered vehicles.
