President El-Sisi Meets Chairman and Delegation of the World Travel & Tourism Council

alhadath – cairo

Today at Al-Ittihadiya Palace, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received Chairman of the World Travel & Tourism Council, the WTTC, Mr. Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio.

The meeting was also attended by Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Mr. Sherif Fathy; WTTC President and CEO, Ms. Gloria Guevara; Special Presidential Envoy for American Tourism, Exceptionalism, and Values, Mr. Nick Adams; President of American Express Travel, Ms. Audrey Hendley; Founder & CEO of Arsenale Group, Mr. Paolo Barletta; and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Coral Travel Group, Mr. Ayhan Bektaş.

Spokesman for the Presidency Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy said President El-Sisi welcomed the WTTC Chairman and the accompanying delegation, emphasizing the importance of strengthening cooperation between Egypt and the Council, as one of the most prominent international entities representing the private tourism sector, in order to foster tourism growth and enhance its sustainability.

The Chairman of the WTTC confirmed the Council’s keenness on organizing the major international event “Global Tourism Leaders’ Leadership Journey” in Egypt, with the participation of 270 top executives and representatives of global travel and tourism companies.

The event will take place as part of a cruise passing through the Suez Canal and a number of Egyptian cities and ports. Mr. Lefebvre d’Ovidio emphasized that hosting this event in Egypt sends a strong message. He said it demonstrates the great confidence in Egypt’s diverse and distinguished tourism assets, the country’s stability, the efforts undertaken to develop the tourism sector, the robustness of Egypt’s tourism industry, and its success in attracting more tourists and investments into the tourism sector. The WTTC Chairman stressed that Egypt remains a preferred destination that everyone looks forward to visiting.

The Council’s delegation expressed pride in visiting Egypt and aspiration to forge closer cooperation with the Government of Egypt in the sectors of tourism and tourism investment, and to support the state’s efforts to develop tourism infrastructure. Special Presidential Envoy for American Tourism, Exceptionalism, and Values Mr. Adams conveyed the greetings of U.S. President Donald Trump to President El-Sisi, affirming the United States’ interest to increase tourism exchange between the two countries.

President El-Sisi affirmed Egypt’s commitment to continuing the development of the tourism sector to achieve the goal of receiving 30 million tourists annually. The President indicated that Egypt’s selection to host the Council’s event reflects strong confidence in its tourism capabilities, expressing Egypt’s readiness to host more of the Council’s events and to provide all necessary support in this regard.

The President stressed that maintaining stability, security, and safety is an imperative necessity, an effort that was commended by the delegation members, who expressed their appreciation to the President for his efforts to achieve stability in the region.