The new Egyptian minister of tourism, Yehia Rashed, has announced his plan - the ‘6x6 Tourism Impact Plan’ - to fundamentally enhance Egyptian tourism and to revive the fortunes of the critical tourism sector.

Egyptian tourism has been in the doldrums following a series of terrorist attacks in the country and wider unrest across the Middle East and North Africa in recent months.

In response minister Rashed’s ‘Tourism Impact Plan’ focuses on six main priorities to improve Egyptian tourism and is designed to deliver real and impactful results within six months.

The six themes are:

• A New Partnership: Working with international tourism partners to restore success.
• Bring the world to Egypt: Working in partnership with Egypt’s national carrier, EgyptAir, to develop new destinations, and to support charter and low cost airline companies in bringing more tourists to Egypt.
• Innovation and Investment: Enhance Egypt’s tourism infrastructure by supporting investors and innovating with new ideas.
• Raise the Bar: Meet the highest international standards through upgraded product and service levels at tourist facilities.
• Attract International Investment: Working to bring foreign direct investment to Egyptian tourism.
• A Future in Green Tourism: Develop the growing trend in Egyptian tourism of sustainable eco-friendly accommodation, transportation, and activities.

Announcing the 6x6 Impact Plan, minister Rashed commented: “My one and only goal is to bring huge numbers of tourists back to Egypt. 

“To do this we need concerted action and partnership with Egyptian and international tourism stakeholders.

“The 6x6 Tourism Impact Plan is all about action that brings together the priority areas of Egyptian tourism, providing support and enhancements as we move forward.

“The commitment to see these 6 priority areas have an impact over a six month time frame is very ambitious.

“But I am also ambitious for our tourism sector. I want to see positive action and for that action to have an immediate impact.

“This allows us to focus our energies on the most important elements.

“This is the start of an exciting time and opportunity for Egyptian tourism.

“This will return Egypt to being one of the most sought after places to visit in the world.”