Tourism Minister Calls On Germans to Visit, Invest in Egypt

Minister of Tourism Hisham Zaazou said Egypt is a secure tourist destination which warmly welcomes its guests while taking many steps to promote security performance and improve the security situation.

Zaazou said in a press conference on the sidelines of the International Tourism Bourse held in Berlin that there are meetings and contacts with the interior minister to reach maximum security for the Egyptian citizens and for tourists in particular, noting that the Taba incident was a random one.

Egypt started a new phase after June 30 Revolution and is now implementing the road map which satisfies people's demands, and the democracy sought by Egyptians requires no exclusion of any faction from the political scene, including Muslim Brotherhood members but only those whose hands are not stained with blood, Zaazou said.

He called on Germans to support tourism in Egypt that greatly contributes to the economy and stressed the necessity for investments, especially German ones, to return to Egypt.

We respect the German government and we understand it is keen on the German citizens' lives, but there are objections on the warning which was issued suddenly, while, for example, the British government has not changed travel instructions to Egypt, he added.

This decision should have been taken after discussions with the Egyptian government, and warnings should be dealt with in coordination with Egyptian authorities.

After the German warning, 11 countries panicked and followed suit, which affected Egyptian tourism negatively, Zaazou said.

During the press conference, a film was screened featuring the diving destinations in Egypt and the wonderful Egyptian beaches, Nile cruises in Luxor, Aswan and Abu Simbel, ancient landmarks and popular marketplaces.

Representatives of German tourism companies, tour operators and German airways officials along with Egypt's Ambassador to Germany Mohamed Hegazi attended the conference.