Egypt appoints well-known tourism veteran as new Minister of Tourism

Mohamed Hisham Abbas Zaazou

new Minister of Tourism

Hisham Zaazou, formerly the Senior Assistant to Egypt’s Minister of Tourism, has been named the new Minister of Tourism for this global destination.

Zaazou comes to this position after 30+ years in the public and private sectors. Beginning in 1980 in North America with R&H Tourism Co., he expanded operations to Egypt. He then moved on to Sakkara Travel as General Manager. His interest in the role of the public sector and tourism started when he was elected as the Director General of the Egyptian Tourism Federation followed by his appointment as Assistant to the Minister of Tourism (2008).

In 1982, Egypt had 1.4 million visitors, expanding to 12.5 million in 2009 with revenue increasing from US$300 million (1982) to US$10.6 billion (2009). Egypt became the 19th most important worldwide tourism destinations and took first place in the Middle East, North Africa, and Africa in share of market. However, in 2011, tourism to the destination dropped over 33 percent.

Tourism sustainability 

Looking to future growth, Zaazou is aware of the many issues that make sustainable tourism controversial. Some industry experts suggest that too many tourists destroy a destination and Zaazou concurs: “If we don’t do anything, one day we may lose even the great pyramids, because the congestion is humongous. It will be a crime if we sabotage them.”

Public-private partnerships go green

Zaazou believes that visitor numbers can be regulated, projecting that Egypt can support 20-25 million tourists. The National Sustainable Tourism Plan (NSTP) has been designed to provide regulatory means to reach the sustainability objective. The Ministry is investing US$276 million in green projects with 52 percent coming from the government and international donations, and the remainder from private initiatives.

Source markets

Tourism growth is likely to come from Argentina, Brazil, China, and India. Zaasou intends to review the country’s high airport tax and take steps to reduce it. There is also an interest in increasing air lift by Sun Express and Air Berlin.

Background

Hisham Zaazou studied accounting at the Ain Sham University in Cairo, graduating in 1976 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Accounting. He received his post graduate certificate in Public Private Partnerships from the Harvard/Kennedy School of Business and the UNWTO certificate for courses in Tourism Sustainability, the New Consumer, and New Technologies for Promotion.

A successful ITB Berlin 2012:Support for the partner country Egypt

Press Conference Egypt
H.E. Amr El Ezabi, Chairman of the Egyptian Tourist Authority; H.E. Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour, Egyptian Minister of Tourism; H.E. Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt; H.E. Hisham Zaazou, Senior Assistant Minister of Tourism; Mohamed Gamal, General director, Tourism Department of the Egyptian Consulate General

The partner country Egypt was aware of the strong solidarity shown by the international travel industry. Mounir Fahkry Abdel Nour, Egypt’s Minister of Tourism: “ITB was fantastic! I enjoyed every minute of it and met some fascinating and outstanding people. In addition to the support that I received I am very happy that the problems in a political context have not affected the general mood in the slightest, in fact quite the contrary.

 All our German partners declared their solidarity with us, including the Federal Minister of Economics Philipp Rösler. In personal discussions with Klaus Brähmig, Chairman of the Tourism Committee of the Bundestag, the representatives of the Egyptian parliament and I were able to resolve the confusion that arose as a result of his critical remarks regarding Egypt. It seems to me that ITB Berlin is growing larger all the time, and it is vibrant and more lively than ever. This could be my impression because we are the partner country this year. As a consequence of events taking place around the world the entire travel industry is in transition. This ITB is different from last year’s. I am experiencing a willingness among countries to cooperate and I find this very encouraging.”

The Egypt hall provided opportunities for visitors to use various social media platforms to find out about the political situation within the country. Facilities were available for linking up with Egyptian internet users, to make use of a real time live stream showing vacation centres and resorts in Egypt, or to exchange views and thoughts with Egyptians via Facebook and Twitter.