In an announcement on Thursday, the Egyptian Minister of Tourism Rania Al-Mashat, on behalf of Egypt, received the ‘Global Champion Award’ from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) in recognition of the country’s efforts in promoting sustainable tourism.
“We commend Minister of Tourism Rania Al-Mashat and Experience Egypt for this comprehensive plan to reform their tourism industry,” WTTC tweeted.
The ceremony was held on the sidelines of 2019’s Global Summit at Seville, Spain between the 2nd and 4th of April. Astonishingly enough, it is the first time ever for an Arab country or minister to receive such an award.
In a fully-detailed report, the WTTC revealed that Egypt’s tourism sector has recovered immensely under Al-Mashat’s administration. Additionally, as of 2018, the number of tourists increased by 16.5 percent, which surpasses the global average set at 3.9 percent.
Such recovery comes in light of Egypt’s daunting efforts to improve the local safety concerns to help bring back tourists to the prominent Egyptian landmarks. In addition, the government has been involved in a number of developmental projects on the frontiers of tourism on the coast of the Red Sea, as well as the Mediterranian.
On Twitter, Mashat expressed her happiness in receiving such an award, adding that the Ministry’s goal is to empower at least one member of each Egyptian family to work in the sector directly or indirectly. She has also stated that at this time, Egypt thinks differently about tourism; the country abandoned traditional views and launched a structural reform program to modernize the once-failing sector.
This World Travel and Tourism Council @WTTC recognition is a real honor for me personally & the country at large where our overarching objective is to have at least one individual from each Egyptian household working directly or indirectly in the sector. https://t.co/nNdUKldaPq pic.twitter.com/VTp1pL84Qo
— Rania A. Al Mashat (@RaniaAlMashat) April 4, 2019
In an interview with Egyptian Streets, Al-Mashat has clarified that her tourism vision is built on three pillars, with the first focused on destination branding; which concentrates on highlighting destinations within Egypt, including Sharm El-Sheikh and Siwa. The second is the “People to People” campaign, which works on combating the negative stigma around Egyptian people. Finally, the third pillar is the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), which is set to open in 2020.