STORY: Egypt eyes 3 mln Chinese tourists annually by 2028: minister
SHOOTING TIME: Nov. 26, 2023
DATELINE: Nov. 28, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:56
LOCATION: Cairo
CATEGORY: ECONOMY/CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): AHMED ISSA, Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities
2. various of tourist attractions in Egypt (file)
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): AHMED ISSA, Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities
4. various of tourist attractions in Egypt (file)
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): AHMED ISSA, Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities

STORYLINE:

Egypt seeks to attract 3 million Chinese tourists annually by 2028 as part of the country's ambitious strategy to increase its share in the Chinese tourism market, Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Issa said on Sunday.

Egypt currently receives between 4,000 and 5,000 Chinese tourists per week. "That is a good number compared to previous records, but I think we can do much more," the minister told Xinhua in an interview.

Issa said that in order to host an increasing number of Chinese visitors, more flights and hotel rooms are required.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): AHMED ISSA, Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities"The way to attract 3 million Chinese tourists each year by 2028 means 60,000 tourists a week. We welcome Chinese hotel owners and investors to invest in Egyptian hotels."

Before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, China had about 150 million outbound tourists in 2019. According to Issa, since Egypt began to record the number of foreign tourists in 2000, the number of Chinese visitors has never exceeded 300,000 in a single year.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): AHMED ISSA, Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities"The highest number we've received in any given year since we started to collect the numbers in 2000, was less than 300,000 Chinese tourists, and this is a very small number to where we think the demand is in China."

Issa added that further growth of Chinese tourists in Egypt can be achieved through cooperation between the Egyptian tourism ministry and its Chinese counterpart, as well as with Chinese investors and tour operators.

The Egyptian minister said he was glad with the growth of the number of Chinese tourists in Egypt since the COVID restrictions were lifted, "but it is still a tenth of where it needs to be, where it can be, and where it should be," he said.

"We have several programs that the Chinese tour operators and the Chinese airlines can benefit from," he said, noting Egypt offers an incentive program for airlines, as well as "a co-marketing program for Chinese tour operators that have promotion strategies of Egyptian products to the Chinese tourists."

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): AHMED ISSA, Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities"At the same time, we have plans to offer familiarization trips for the retail networks across China and for the press that produces news for the tourism industry in China to visit Egypt and be able to gain knowledge about the (Egyptian relevant) products."

Official data shows the tourist number in Egypt dropped from over 13 million in 2019 to around 3.7 million in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which gradually recovered to about 8 million in 2021 and further flourished in 2022 to hit 11.7 million.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Cairo.
(XHTV)