Egypt is seeking to stimulate tourist arrivals, with a target of receiving 30 million tourists annually, said Tourism Minister Ahmed Issa in an interview with CNN anchor and correspondent Richard Quest at the ongoing World Travel Market London.

“I feel so proud and privileged actually to be able to serve my country in this way. Egypt has always felt that it deserves 30 million tourists and the challenge that has been given to me as a problem solver [is to] figure out what to do and what needs to be done,” he added in the CNN Quest Means Business interview.

“It turns out that it’s not a problem with demand – it’s with the supply. And now actually, we’ve developed plans, we’ve developed key highlights of actually what we want to do to try to fix the supply side.”

As world leaders meet in Egypt to discuss the climate future at COP27, the country’s past is going to be put on new display. The Grand Egyptian Museum will open next year, marketed as the largest archaeological museum in the world.

Ahmed Issa talked about the country’s attractions as a tourist destination, and his own journey from working in the private sector to his new post as a minister.

“Well the political will actually in Egypt across the entire government and across the leadership [is that] we want to get to 30 million. And I assure you that actually, every single colleague of mine on the cabinet is committed to the same objective,” he noted.

“If you look at the record of public spending in Egypt since 2015, ’16, there’s like no other in the history of Egypt. On roads, on bridges, on hospitals, on airports and on aviation and hotels. So, I think Egypt has done most of that spending. And the time now is for Egypt to present itself in a different way to the tourist world,” he explained.

“The value proposition is actually all about competitive advantage. And we believe that we actually have offering on the ground that is unmatched by any other competitor. And especially in the culture of tourism. In…the pyramids, the Sphinx…the sunny days in Egypt. And at the same time, the people. You know, it’s just walking around the streets of Cairo and Khan el-Khalili and so forth. I think it’s like no other,” Issa concluded.

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