Prime Minister reviews investment opportunities available to increase number of hotel rooms
Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly stressed that the government is currently attaching great importance to the tourism sector as one of the main sectors that the government is working to develop and improve its performance, within the structural reform program that includes, in addition to tourism, the sectors of industry, agriculture, communications and information technology.
This came during the meeting held by the Prime Minister today, Sunday, at the government headquarters in the New Alamein City, during which he reviewed the available investment opportunities in plots of land that can be used to build about 250,000 hotel rooms to accommodate 30 million tourists annually, which is one of the targets that the government attaches special importance to during the current period.
The meeting was attended by Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Eng. Sherif El-Sherbiny, Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities, Eng. Hassan El-Khatib, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Dr. Manal Awad, Minister of Local Development, via video conference, Yomna El-Bahar, Deputy Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, and Dr. Mustafa Mounir, Chairman of the General Authority for Tourism Development. Madbouly explained that in addition to the efforts made by the government to promote various tourist destinations, there are targets that the state is currently working on, which are to attract 30 million tourists annually, but in return we face a challenge represented by the need to add about 200 to 250 thousand hotel rooms. He added that in this regard, I directed the Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade to work on promoting the attraction of more investors working in the development and operation of facilities and hotel rooms, which will accelerate the pace of establishing and operating the required hotel rooms, alongside the efforts made by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in this regard. The Prime Minister reviewed a number of targeted areas to create new tourist destinations, whether on the Red Sea or in the North Coast region on the Mediterranean, similar to what was implemented in Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada, or what is currently happening in the Ras El-Hikma area. Madbouly also presented a number of other areas that have been revived, whether in Cairo, Giza or in ancient archaeological areas, adding: We now have a number of hotel rooms in these areas, such as those built in the Fustat Hills Garden, and the Wall of the Eye Canal, which are being prepared in the “Tahrir Complex” or Historic Cairo and others. The Prime Minister pointed out that the Tourism Development Authority, which owns a portfolio of tourism lands, is affiliated with the Ministry of Housing, so there is a directive for the Minister of Housing to prepare a map of the lands available to implement these targets, stressing that the responsibility of promoting tourism investment opportunities is a shared responsibility between all of us, and therefore we must work as one team. He also stressed the importance of holding regular meetings of the Ministerial Committee for Tourism Development in a way that contributes to overcoming any obstacles and pushing work in this important sector. In turn, the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities pointed out that there are a number of criteria related to these projects, including firstly that there are incentives that serve tourism available in these lands and that recreational areas are linked to them, suggesting that there be a “bank for tourism opportunities” And that there be a unit whose goal is to promote these opportunities. For his part, the Minister of Investment said, “We will work as a single team with the concerned ministers, and we will have integrated tourism opportunities that will be promoted.” He pointed out that it is important to have new tourist cities on the Red Sea, such as Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada, given the size of beach tourism, which represents a large percentage of the volume of incoming tourism to Egypt, and therefore we must work to maximize this. During the meeting, the Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities reviewed investment opportunities in hotel activity in new cities and governorates, indicating that there are proposals to accommodate more than 200,000 hotel rooms in the new areas and cities affiliated with the New Urban Communities Authority and the General Authority for Tourism Development. In this regard, he explained that there are 10 new cities and 3 governorates, with a total of 35 sites proposed to build hotel rooms, adding that there are 16 sites proposed by the General Authority for Tourism Development to build hotel rooms, while the total land area proposed by the “New Urban Communities Authority” and the “General Authority for Tourism Development” is 1381 acres. The Minister reviewed the investment opportunities available in a number of plots of land for hotel activity, noting that in the Marina El Alamein Center area and its southern extension there are 12 investment opportunities for hotel activity that could add about 3,000 hotel rooms, reviewing these opportunities separately. The minister added that there are 10 investment opportunities in the New Alamein City that can add 9,000 hotel rooms, reviewing each of these opportunities separately, adding that there are two investment opportunities in the New Damietta City through which 2,200 hotel rooms can be added, as well as an investment opportunity for hotel activity in West Port Said City that can add 1,200 hotel rooms, and a plot of land in New Aswan that can be used to build 1,200 hotel rooms. He added that among the proposed investment opportunities in the New Administrative Capital is the iconic tower, which will provide about 485 hotel rooms, and is distinguished by being within the central financial and business district, in addition to two plots of land in the New Cairo area, and it is targeted that the number of hotel rooms from the proposed projects to be built on these lands will reach 1,700 rooms. Al-Sherbiny touched on the opportunities available in the cities of 6th of October and October Gardens, where it is targeted to build about 580 hotel rooms, as well as in New Nasser City in Assiut Governorate, where there is an investment opportunity that could provide about 250 hotel rooms. The minister also presented investment opportunities in lands belonging to the General Authority for Tourism Development, including, for example, several plots of land on the Red Sea.
