Egypt seeks stronger tourism partnership with Türkiye

ANTALYA, Türkiye

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

Mohamed Atta Elsherbeiny, international tourism chief with the Egyptian Tourism Authority, affiliated with the Tourism Ministry, told Anadolu that Türkiye 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 Türkiye 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 Türkiye, as Türkiye is a flight hub, and tour operators benefit from this.

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

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

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

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

*Writing by Emir Yildirim in Istanbul