Tourism Minister discusses boosting arrivals, investment opportunities in South Sinai

2026-03-16 - 17:44

Sherif Fathy, Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, began his visit to Sharm El-Sheikh with a meeting with Ismail Kamal, Governor of South Sinai, to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation and further support the tourism sector in the governorate. The meeting addressed a number of issues of mutual interest, including proposals and initiatives aimed at increasing inbound tourist flows to South Sinai and improving the quality of tourism services. Discussions also focused on enhancing the competitiveness of Egypt’s tourism destination and encouraging further tourism investments across the region. Fathy stressed the ministry’s commitment to expanding coordination frameworks with the governorate to support the tourism industry and remove any obstacles facing investors and tourism operators, particularly in Sharm El-Sheikh. He highlighted the governorate’s diverse tourism assets and its ability to attract a wide range of visitors through multiple tourism patterns, including beach tourism, cultural and spiritual tourism, conferences and events, shopping tourism, as well as specialised activities such as birdwatching. The minister also underlined the importance of intensifying promotional efforts for these tourism segments while working to create new attractions that cater to different international markets and enhance the overall visitor experience. For his part, Ismail Kamal reaffirmed the governorate’s full support for the tourism sector and its role as a key driver of economic activity in South Sinai. He stressed the local authorities’ commitment to addressing any challenges that may affect tourism activity, with the aim of increasing tourist arrivals and stimulating tourism-related investments. The meeting was attended by Ahmed Youssef, Chief Executive Officer of the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Board, along with senior officials from the ministry and its regional office in Sharm El-Sheikh.