Egypt seeks stronger tourism partnership with Turkiye

Egypt seeks to be partners, not competitors, with Turkiye in tourism, as tourism operators see both countries as worthy destinations, according to an Egyptian official, Anadolu Agency reports.

Mohamed Atta Elsherbeiny, International Tourism chief with the Egyptian Tourism Authority, affiliated with the Tourism Ministry, told Anadolu that Turkiye and Egypt once competed against each other in tourism, but now they work in cooperation, especially after the pandemic.

Speaking at a tourism fair in the Turkish resort city of Antalya, Elsherbeiny said that airlines operating flights between Turkiye and Egypt play a big role in this cooperation, as some 100 weekly flights take place between the two countries.

He said tourists from various places fly to Egypt via Turkiye, as Turkiye is a flight hub, and tour operators benefit from this.

Elsherbeiny said tourism investors come to Egypt from Turkiye and that a well-known company in Turkiye has seven hotels in Egypt, with three more in the works.

As for visitors from Turkiye, he mentioned that last year Egypt hosted 180,000 Turkish guests.

Turkiye attracts more tourists in summer, while Egypt does in winter, with no overlapping seasons, he said.

Turkiye and Egypt need to no longer compete against each other, and should instead continue and boost cooperation efforts, he added.

READ: Egypt opens more galleries in long-awaited antiquities museum