Egypt supports tourism investment in Nile cruises

Egypt is moving to enhance tourism investment in luxury Nile cruises through a plan for trips that pass through various archaeological sites, in addition to the Holy Family journey. The Egyptian Minister of Tourism discussed with the founder of one of the leading international companies in the field of travel and luxury river cruises, investment opportunities in the River Nile and marine tourism sector in Egypt.

At the beginning of the meeting, Glen Moroney, founder of Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours, one of the leading international companies in the field of travel and luxury cruises, announced its future expansion plans, especially in the tourist destination of Egypt, after showing a short film reviewing the company’s activity, the size of its business, the designs of its cruise ships, and the luxury services it provides to its customers around the world as part of its tourism programs and trips, according to a statement by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

Moroni expressed his aspiration to invest in building and operating new cruise ships for the company inside Egypt, and to promote internationally the programs and trips that the company intends to organize, noting that he visited the cities of Alexandria and Ain Sokhna to learn about the ports and anchorages that can receive the ships that the company plans to operate in Egypt.

The Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities affirmed the ministry’s readiness to provide the necessary facilities to complete the required procedures, within the framework of the Egyptian state’s keenness to encourage tourism investment, especially in the field of Nile tourism, which is witnessing remarkable development during the current period and is receiving increasing interest and demand from tourists. He stressed during the ministry’s statement “the keenness to develop this important tourism product as it is one of the distinctive tourism products that is unique to the Egyptian tourist destination.”

Pointing out that expanding this type of investment would contribute to increasing the hotel capacity available in Egypt, thus supporting the state’s efforts to accommodate the expected increase in the number of tourists during the next stage.

He explained that “the Nile tourism product in Egypt is distinguished by its ability to provide an integrated tourism experience that combines many types and tourism products, as it allows tourists to combine cultural tourism by visiting archaeological sites located on the itinerary, in addition to recreational tourism, and spiritual tourism represented by visiting the points of the Holy Family’s itinerary located on the itinerary, in addition to enjoying traditional Egyptian cuisine, which highlights the diversity of the components that the Egyptian tourist destination has, which is incomparable.”

The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities had launched a promotional campaign under the title “Egypt… incomparable diversity,” during which it highlighted the diversity of tourism types that Egypt enjoys, including cultural, beach, therapeutic, recreational, sports, conferences, safari, and other tourism types that attract millions of visitors to Egypt annually.

Since Egypt supports tourism investment in Nile and sea cruises through the National Strategy for Sustainable Tourism in Egypt 2030, which aims to attract 30 million tourists, many tourist sites will benefit from investment in this field, including the “Temples of Luxor and Karnak,” the “Temple of Philae,” the Nubia Museum, and the temples of Kom Ombo and Edfu in Aswan, which are major stops for floating boats within a regular tourist route on the Nile River.

The Minister of Tourism points out the importance of “expanding yacht tourism, sunken antiquities tourism, and recreational activities to encourage the private sector to pump investments from the Egyptian General Authority for Tourism Promotion in building ports and marinas, especially in the areas of Sharm El-Sheikh, Hurghada, Alexandria, and New Alamein.”

Egypt achieved record numbers of tourists last year. The number has exceeded 19 million tourists, and it seeks to reach 30 million tourists by the year 2030, relying on the momentum witnessed by tourist sites, the diversity in tourism patterns, and the development of services provided to tourists in different sites.

Tou operator pioneers in Egypt, including Nile Cruisen Company, consider Nile and sea cruises to be the most tourist types capable of attracting a large number of tourists, especially those in the high-spending category, as well as increasing the number of days of visiting Egypt. Also, “Egypt has a unique competitive advantage in the world; It overlooks two seas (the Red Sea and the Mediterranean) and the Nile River, which are places with many archaeological tourist sites, as well as international places for diving, water sports, and hospital tourism. “This creates an integrated tourism product that combines tourism, entertainment and recreation.”

The interest and maximization of Egypt’s capabilities in Nile and marine tourism, which will be reflected in the attraction and increase the competitiveness of the Egyptian tourist destination, will not only achieve a return for tourism but also for other forms such as transportation, trade, and restaurants. It is a plan that works to distribute tourist destinations and balanced tourism development among the various governorates.”