Samar Yahya Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — The Egyptian Consul General Adel El Alfy held a reception to welcome Egypt's Minister of Tourism Hisham Zazou during his visit to the Kingdom that lasted a few days. Consul General El Alfy, his aides and a consular team received Zazou and the guests at the Jeddah Hilton hotel on Wednesday evening. El Alfy welcomed the tourism delegation led by Zazou and lauded Bandar Al-Fuhaid, President of the Arab Tourism Organization, for his efforts in the tourism field. He also praised the long and lasting bilateral relations between Egypt and the Kingdom and the two countries' resolve to boost bilateral tourism. “The Egyptian consulate in Jeddah is doing everything it can to boost collaboration by the two countries in the field of tourism, particularly religious tourism as every Egyptian is keen to visit the Kingdom to perform Umrah or Haj,” El Alfy said. In his speech, Zazou thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and all Saudi officials and authorities for their efforts during the Haj and Umrah seasons and for facilitating expansion projects in the two holy cities. While promising comfort and security, Zazou invited Saudis to visit Egypt and make it their preferred destination this year. Zazou criticized certain elements in the Egyptian media who he said sometimes exaggerate the country's security issues. The minister said Egypt's current problems are the result of internal political diversity and assured the country is steadily inching toward stability, and it enjoys safety and security. Zazou said he met with Saudi Minister of Haj Bandar Hajjar at his office in Jeddah on Wednesday morning. The two ministers discussed the number of Egyptian pilgrims during the Umrah season in Ramadan and addressed rumors that the Kingdom may temporarily decrease pilgrim quotas due to ongoing expansion work inside the Grand Mosque. Zazou said Hajjar assured him that their number will not be decreased, yet he confirmed the need for better organizing of pilgrims. He added that a team is currently discussing the required procedures with the concerned Saudi authorities and Egyptian travel agencies will be expected to adhere to the new guidelines. Zazou also said Egypt's Ministry of Tourism supports charter flights to the country and encouraged more tourists to visit Egypt. “At the moment we are working to sort out any complications concerned with foreign investments in Egypt that might have occurred following the Jan. 25 revolution and we will be supporting Saudi investments in particular,” he said. According to statistics, Zazou said, the number of Saudi tourists who visited Egypt in 2010 was approximately 375,000 and following the revolution, the numbers went down to 198,000. Tourism began to pick up in 2012 where 241,000 Saudis visited Egypt, a 17 percent increase over the previous year. “We work hard to combat any obstacles before Arab and especially Saudi investments in Egypt. Saudi investments are a major pillar to develop Egypt's economy and investments,” Zazou added. Zazou thanked Al-Fuhaid and all Saudi businessmen, especially Abdulrahman Sharbatly and Abdullah Marie Bin Mahfouz, president of the Saudi-Egyptian Business Council. While delivering his speech, Al-Fuhaid said the tourism industry has become one of the key industries in both countries that promote closer collaboration. He also reviewed the long relations, years of work and cooperation with Zazou prior to his posting as minister. He went on to praise Zazou for his role in providing instant solutions for problems that Saudi tourists faced during and soon after the Jan. 25 revolution in Egypt. Earlier this week at a meeting in the Arab Tourism Organization, Al-Fuhaid awarded Zazou first-class insignia for his nearly 30 years of service in the field of tourism. Al-Fuhaid also said while global tourism accounts for over a billion tourists combined, the number of tourists visiting Arab countries does not exceed 57 million, a paltry share of the global tourism market. He called for greater efforts among Arab countries to boost tourism in the region.
