Thursday 03 Apr
Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, welcomed German Ambassador to Cairo, Juergen Schulz, to the Ministry's headquarters in the New Administrative Capital. The meeting focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation in tourism and antiquities. Discussions included an analysis of German tourist traffic to Egypt in the previous year and plans to boost future arrivals, with an emphasis on Egypt's coastal destinations, which are popular with German tourists.
Discussions extended to collaborative archaeological
projects, specifically excavation and restoration efforts at numerous
archaeological sites throughout Egypt. Officials highlighted the presence of
around 39 German archaeological missions operating in the country.
Bilateral Egyptian-German relations demonstrate robust
collaboration in the tourism and antiquities sectors. Notably, the Egyptian
Tourism Authority exhibited at the Boot international tourism fair in Germany this
past February, focusing on diving, marine activities, and water sports. They also
participated in the TC Leipzig exhibition in November 2024.
In the field of antiquities, a memorandum of understanding was signed in 2024 between the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation in the field of rediscovering ancient manuscripts and papyri in Egyptian museums, which aims to "rediscover ancient papyri and manuscripts in Egyptian museums", raise the efficiency of workers in the field of papyri, and document, restore and publish a selection of papyri.
The meeting was attended by Amr El-Kady, CEO of the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Board, Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Ambassador Khaled Tharwat, Advisor to the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities for International Relations and General Supervisor of the General Administration of International Relations and Agreements at the Ministry, and Mr. Felix Haala, Cultural Advisor at the German Embassy in Cairo.
