Bin Sulayem meets Egyptian Tourism Minister

The Egyptian delegation currently in Dubai to attend the Arabian Travel Market 2006 included Mr. Ahmed Al Khadim, Chairman of Tourism and Promotion Board and Mr. Fathy Noor, Counsellor at the Egyptian Tourism Ministry.

The meeting at the DTCM Head Office was also attended by Mr. Mohammed Saad Obeid, Egyptian Ambassador to the UAE and Mr. Ibrahim Hafeez, the Egyptian Consul in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

Mr. Khalid A Bin Sulayem highlighted Dubai's excellent record in positioning itself as a leading leisure and tourist destination in the world and its recent and upcoming iconic projects like the world's tallest building the Burj Dubai, the Palm, The World, Dubailand etc.

The Egyptian Minister of Tourism, Mr. Zuhair Garana hailed Dubai's excellent infrastructure and quality in services. Both the parties agreed that there was tremendous potential in bi-lateral trade and tourism between Dubai and Egypt.

Dubai being a gateway to the Middle East will complement the Egyptian tourism industry, they agreed.

Mr. Garana outlined the growth in Egypt's infrastructure particularly in the establishment of new airports to meet the need of increasing number of tourists from different parts of the world. The number of visitors passing through the Egyptian airport is expected to touch 20 million by 2007.

The total number of UAE tourists to Egypt increased by 10.7 per cent in 2005 when compared to 2004.

The total number of Egyptian visitors to Dubai stood at 107,002 in 2005 an increase of 16 per cent from 2004. Dubai's trade value with Egypt reached Dhs. 1,101,746 in 2004. There are 56 weekly flights operating between Dubai and Egypt.