On December 6, AmCham held a luncheon with guest speaker Minister of Tourism Zoheir Garana to discuss “The sustainability of the tourism industry in Egypt.” AmCham members and guests attended the event, which was held at the Conrad Cairo Hotel.

AmCham president Omar Mohanna introduced the minister of tourism and briefly discussed the general state of the tourism industry in Egypt. He noted the sector’s influence over infrastructure development and job creation, as well as AmCham’s plan to send special missions to the US to promote tourism in Egypt to potential American visitors.

Garana then took the stage, discussing first the progress in the tourism industry and his optimism for the future of its development. He highlighted his own involvement in the industry, mentioning his 26 years in the sector prior to his appointment as the minister of tourism two years ago, as well as how the industry has changed in this time period. Garana recalled the jump from 1.3 million tourists visiting Egypt 25 years ago to 9.1 million tourists last year, while noting that Egypt hopes to attract 25 million tourists a year by 2020. That goal would require 10-percent growth each year, which he is optimistic can be achieved. He also discussed the sector’s role in job creation and generating foreign revenues. Tourism employs 13 percent of Egypt’s workforce and earns the equivalent of 11.3 percent of GDP, he noted.

Garana went on to discuss the main topic of his speech, sustainable tourism, noting that growing the tourist industry in a sustainable manner “is our real challenge.” He spoke of addressing the economic, social, cultural and environmental aspects of development.

He explained the need for an integrated plan for sustainable development, and discussed the Tourism Development Authority’s (TDA) attempts to meet this challenge. Specifically, he pointed to the development of a plan created in conjunction with outside consultants in order to address these concerns for the period through 2022. In this plan, the TDA will identify opportunities for further growth, as well as how to navigate around potential constraints in order to achieve this growth.

At this point in his speech, Garana once again addressed the past, noting that heavy public-private investment over the past 25 years was now paying dividends in the tourism industry. After discussing the beneficial results attained through the industry’s foresight in the past, Garana noted that the tourism industry needs a new vision to work towards. He also delved into attempts being made to market Egypt’s tourism industry internationally, touching on a multimillion-dollar marketing campaign being pursued to pass along the message “We welcome you” to potential tourists worldwide. He also discussed the Ministry of Tourism’s efforts to support Egyptian communities and help people displaced by development of tourism projects.

Garana noted that one cannot discuss the sustainability of a service industry without first addressing the issue of the sustainability of its workforce. Hence he discussed efforts to develop the workforce of the tourism industry. “Tourism is everyone’s business,” he said, explaining that a campaign was under way to educate Egyptians on the positive impact that the tourism industry can have on them.

The minister also briefly addressed the environmental aspect of sustainable development, remarking that “a lot remains to be done,” but that progress is being made on this front as well. He noted that “environmental sense also makes business sense,” and detailed initiatives being taken by the Ministry of Tourism to promote good environmental policies in the tourism industry, such as the creating of a diving chamber to monitor safety and environmental standards in the diving industry.

In addition, he discussed efforts to enhance the business environment for tourism, such as an initiative to launch a one-stop shop for businesses to conduct their governmental business related to tourism.

Finally, Garana invited others to assist the ministry in its efforts to create a sustainable tourism industry. “We simply cannot do it alone,” he said, calling on the business community to join the effort to develop the tourism industry.

The minister also discussed the impact of the tourism industry on Egyptian-US relations, noting that tourism helps to build bridges between the two nations, increasing understanding and peace. With this in mind, he called on AmCham Egypt to continue to contribute, and increase its effort, to help build bridges between the US and Egypt.

A question and answer session followed the tourism minister’s speech. Garana addressed concerns over docking facilities in Luxor and Aswan, the frequency of tourist bus accidents and the policy of non-interference regarding pricing, among other things. At the end of the luncheon, AmCham president Omar Mohanna presented the minister with an honorary AmCham membership.