Cairo- Mounir El-Fishawy & Motaz Othman
It is now a regular practice that countries mutually support each other in the face of terrorist operations, in particular those aiming at tourist sites. I remember, at the time of my visit to ITB in Berlin, two years ago, the great sympathy which Spain received, following the explosions at its railway stations. It appears that the World Tourism Organization (WTO) and a number of Ministers of Tourism wanted to support Egypt after the attack on Sharam El-Sheikh. This year, a number of ministers of tourism and Mr. Frasesco Franjelli, Secretary-General of WTO took part in the Mediterranean Travel Fair (MTF, 6th – 8th September, 2005).
This session was a real success, distinguished from the preceding ones for many reasons especially the considerable efforts made by the Egyptian Minister of Tourism, Mr. Ahmed El-Maghrabi, who encouraged Egypt’s tourist operators to take part. The “Hosted Buyer” program contributed strongly to the presence of commercial visitors, who increased by 49%.
A number of countries participated for the first time, including Cuba, represented by the director of its office of tourism, Mr. Jose Perez. Sheik Bandar Ben Fahd Al-Fahid, President of the Arab Organization of Tourism, gave an outline of the aims and activities of his organization.
Islamic Tourism was an active participant. The magazine co-operated with the organizers, Red Travel, through its electronic website. We noticed a great interest in our website. Many people we met appreciate the weekly news bulletins published in several languages.
Mr. Tom Nutley, President of "Reed Travel", stressed that the presence of visitors from various countries of the world, reflects the great interest in the Middle East. He referred to the increase in the number of tourists in Jordan, Syria and Cyprus. The Egyptian Minister of tourism, invited the visitors to spend few days in places of interest in Cairo, Alexandria and the Red Sea resorts. |