Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled Anani asserted that President Abdel Fattah El Sisi is closely following up all tourism and archaeological projects, asserting that the unprecedented archaeological inaugurations witnessed in Egypt were done under Sisi’s directives.
In an interview on Thursday with Middle East News Agency (MENA) Editor-in-Chief and Board Chairman Ali Hassan, Anani said that Sisi gives directives to provide all needed support and possible means to render these projects and ceremonies successful to reveal the real image of the Egyptian state.
He said that Sisi’s presence at the Pharaohs’ Golden Parade asserts his keenness on tourism and archaeology.
On Sisi’s support to the tourism sector, Anani said that the president gave directives to simplify the measures of the hotels and tourism facilities.
The president also invited kings and world leaders to visit archaeological sites within the framework of promoting Egyptian tourism and antiquities.
Anani asserted the importance of safety and security achieved in Egypt under Sisi, adding that they were positively reflected on restoring tourism movement in Egypt.
Anani asserted that moving the Khufu ship to the Grand Egyptian Museum was done successfully, adding that the process of moving the monuments is done according to the top-notch technological methods.
Anani said that Pharaohs’ Golden Parade represents the best publicity to Egypt as it was watched all over the world.
On the preparations to inaugurate the Grand Egyptian Museum, Anani said that it depends on the end of the coronavirus all over the world, as the state aims at inviting leaders, kings, presidents and famous figures from all over the world to attend the inauguration.
On the preparations for inaugurating Kebash road in Luxor, Anani said that a ceremony like the Pharaohs’ Golden Parade is being prepared to inaugurate it.
He said that the museums launched in the governorates are very important especially those in Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada, adding that more than 20 museums were inaugurated in the past few years.
Anani said that preparations for Egypt’s Capitals Museum ( ECM ) were finalized and it is ready to be inaugurated.
Anani said that he is honored to work with an exceptional generation of archaeologists who succeeded in achieving unprecedented discoveries that contributed to promoting Egypt.
He said that the role of the Egyptian archaeological missions was not making discoveries only but also renovating museums and inaugurating a big number of archaeological mosques, churches and palaces, adding that all these activities are done under the directives of President Sisi.
There is cooperation with the ministries of justice and foreign affairs to restore the Egyptian monuments illegally smuggled abroad, he said.
The Egyptian state managed over the past few years to restore more than 30,000 artifacts including 22,000 archaeological coins, he added.
Anani said that the Central Bank of Egypt strongly supports the tourism sector since the start of coronavirus crisis.
The Ministry of Tourism is working on increasing the touristic awareness of the Egyptians via social media and initiatives that were launched for children and students to get acquainted with the history of monuments, he added.
Source: State Information Service Egypt