Return of Russian flights will work in Egypt’s favour: EJB

The return of Russian flights to Egypt is a very positive decision in favour of the country’s tourism and its sustainability, according to Mohamed Kaoud, head of the Tourism and Aviation Committee at the Egyptian Junior Business Association(EJB).

“The efforts made through the state, ministries and sovereign bodies reflect the ability of Egyptian negotiators to achieve gains on the negotiating table after the unfortunate plane crash in 2015,” Kaoud, who is also CEO of Egyliere Travel, said.

He indicated that Russian tourism is a main pillar in Egypt’s tourism in Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada, and called for a reconsideration of the return of charter and regular flights between Egypt and Russia.

Kaoud also noted that there is a need to study the reactivation of regular flights between Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada airports, and St Petersburg and Moscow airports, particularly targeting large group tourism and luxury travel.

Russia and China account for the largest percentage of luxury tourism worldwide, and regular aviation deals with a different type of flying experience between Egypt and Russia is essential to cater for this segment.

Kaoud stressed the need to strengthen Egyptian-Russian relations through direct investments, whether through partnerships, or attracting Russian investors in the hospitality sector.

This could take place through hospitality project partnerships in the form of hotels, restaurants, yachts, and beaches. It would occur in much the same manner as those partnerships Russian investors have set up in Monaco, France, Turkey, Greece and the UK.

Kaoud added that the development of appropriate plans during the next period will work to increase the number of Russian tourists.

“Developing real plans that are applied on the ground will increase Egypt’s reserves of US dollars coming from Russian tourism, which would reach to the billions,” he said. “This indicates that there should be a focus on the quality of services and security for the Russian market, and other markets, because any mistake as Russian tourism returns will create a crisis that may complicate the future relationship.”

Kaoud noted that hospitality stakeholders in Egypt must visit decision-makers in Russia and open further cooperation channels with Russian companies to attract tourism again. Egyptian businessmen should also consider joint ventures in a consortium that acquire shares in major tour operators and tourism companies that influence the destination flourishing.

He also emphasised the need to support and strengthen bilateral international relations between the two countries in accordance with health and safety standards. This would ensure that tourists returning home to Russia can undertake PCR analysis on demand once they return home, and do not suffer any side-effects from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

The Russian market holds great potential in terms of ensuring the Red Sea area’s tourism sector flourishes again, alongside other industries directly and indirectly related to the tourism and hospitality sectors. Once the flow of tourism from the country restarts, it will also provide a significant amount of foreign currency and foreign direct investment (FDI) to Egypt’s Economy.

Source:daily news Egypt

New Discovery, Sakkara "4":Dozen of 2,500-year-old untouched mummies discovered in Egypt.

At least 13 coffins believed to contain human mummies were unearthed from a well in Egypt where they had rested undisturbed for more than 2,500 years.

The trove of sarcophagi was uncovered last week during an excavation in the Saqqara necropolis, an ancient burial ground about 20 miles south of Cairo, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said.

“[It is] an indescribable feeling when you witness a new archeological discovery,” said Khaled El-Enany, Egypt’s minister of tourism and antiques.
Authorities suspect the well-preserved wooden containers, some which still feature original detailed designs, had remained sealed since their burial.

Archaeologists found the coffins stacked on top of each other in a burial shaft nearly 40 feet deep. More discoveries are expected at the site in coming days.

Saqqara boasts several archaeological treasures and landmarks, including the Step Pyramid, believed to be the world’s oldest. Tombs there have been subject to looting and unsanctioned excavations over the years, making the new discovery even more remarkable.

Source: New York Post

EgyptAir to operate 26 flights on Monday to ferry 2,100 passengers.

CAIRO, Sept 13 (MENA) - EgyptAir will operate 26 flights on Monday to ferry nearly 2,100 passengers to 19 destinations.

In a statement released on Sunday, the national flag carrier said a single flight will head to each of Paris, London, Milan, Istanbul, Nairobi, Khartoum, Beirut, Manama and Sharjah.

It added that three flights will head to Dubai and two to Abu Dhabi.

Four exceptional flights will be operated to Riyadh, Jeddah, Abha and Dammam.

Six domestic flights will be also operated; two to each of Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada and one to each of Aswan and Luxor, according to the statement.

Source:Egypt today

New Discovery, Sakkara "3": Egypt discovers 13 mummies believed to be 2,500 years old.

Egyptian authorities have discovered a collection of more than a dozen coffins believe to hold human mummies that are more than two millennia old.

The 13 chambers were uncovered piled up in a well in Saqqara, an ancient site located around 20 miles south of Cairo, Egypt's capital, according to Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

After being found almost 40 feet deep underground, archaeologists said the chambers were protected from weathering, leaving original details visible on the coffins' exteriors.

Khaled El-Enany, Egypt's minister of tourism and antiques, said it was "an indescribable feeling when you witness a new archeological discovery" in a Twitter post.

In a Facebook video, one of the archaeologists says it is a unique find. "I have never seen this before," he says.

Egypt only last week opened its archaeological sites and museums after months of closures because of the coronavirus pandemic. Such finds are not only crucial to Egypt's heritage but also its economy.

Archaeologists also found four caskets holding mummies in Saqqara earlier this year.

Source:thenational

Antiquities Minister inaugurates Tutankhamun exhibition in Hurghada.

Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled al-Anany on Friday opened a temporary Tutankhamun exhibition in the Red Sea governorate’s Hurghada Museum for the first time.

The artifacts chosen for display were carefully selected to narrate the young Pharaoh’s life while also showcasing the beauty and sophistication of ancient Egyptian art, said the head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziri.

He added that this exhibition will serve as a magnet for tourists in Hurghada, educating them on Tutankhamun’s life and allowing them to learn about the importance art held to the ancient Egyptians.

The exhibition includes 10 carefully curated artifacts, with a gilded wooden statue of the god Ptah as the main piece.

The exhibition serves as an incentive for tourists to visit the city and promotes its new museum.

The Supreme Council of Antiquities said last month that it would display 20 artifacts from the collection of King Tutankhamun’s treasures at the Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh museums for the first time, allowing visitors there a chance to personally view the Pharaoh’s treasures.

The Sharm el-Sheikh Museum is set to open by the end of this year.

Tutankhamun’s collection had been out of Egypt over the past two years.

A Supreme Council of Antiquities statement issued last month explained that 166 artifacts from the “Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh” exhibition arrived in Egypt on August 28, having last been exhibited in London.

Following their temporary exhibition at the coastal cities, the statement added that the treasures will then be transferred to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), while the rest of the exhibition’s pieces returning from London will be sent to the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir.

Source:Egypt independent

'Only in Egypt' can you immerse yourself into history and 3 hours later enjoy Red Sea beach.

CAIRO - 12 September 2020: During a Saturday visit to Upper Egypt’s Luxor and the Red Sea’s Hurghada, Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Enany said Egypt gives tourists the opportunity to see into Pharaonic history and enjoy the beach in one day.

In Luxor, where Enany inspected the renovation of 29 ram statues behind Karnak temple, he met a group of U.S. tourists and gave them free visits to Luxor Museum and the Mummification Museum. He also met Ukrainian tourists and gave them a free visit to Tutankhamen tomb in Luxor and the museum of the young king’s treasures in Hurghada, which is only a 3-hour drive from Luxor.

"Only in Egypt you can enjoy such an exciting day: the beautiful Nile and the splendid archaeological sites of Luxor in the morning and then after only a 3 hours’ drive, you find yourself on the amazing sunny beaches of Hurghada, to enjoy swimming and the best sunset on a cruise in the Red Sea. The icing on the cake is the new display of a collection of Tutankhamen’s treasures at Hurghada museums. Egypt has it all," Enany wrote on Instagram.
The minister posted pictures of himself with the Luxor tourists and at the Red Sea in Hurghada. In his tour, he inspected the strict anti-Covid-19 measures as the country prepares for a busy winter season for tourism.

Source:Egypt today

Egypt’s Antiquities Ministry to open 3 museums at LE725 million

The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities has completed arrangements for the opening of three of Egypt’s largest museums, at a cost of LE725 million, coinciding with the celebration of the 6th of October victory.

The Sharm el-Sheikh Museum, costing LE600 million, the Kafr el-Sheikh Museum at LE62 million, and the Royal Chariots Museum at LE63 million, will open next month, said the Assistant Minister of Antiquities for Engineering Affairs, Hisham Samir.

Samir told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the Kafr el-Sheikh Museum has completed the transfer of statues scheduled for display, and included in the museum are statues depicting King Ramses II with the goddess Sakhmet, a progressive painting of King Thutmose III, and the head of a king from 30th Dynasty.

Highlights of the Kafr el-Sheikh Museum include a detailed exhibit presenting the stories of Egyptian mythology, a presentation of the history of Bhutto, one of Egypt’s ancient capitals, and an exploration into the Holy Family’s journey as it crossed through Sakha, located in Western Kafr el-Sheikh. 

The newly-restored Royal Chariots Museum in Cairo, flaunting rare artifacts that show different means of transportation used throughout the years by kings and rulers in Egypt, in addition to the royal chariots used for official occasions, is also almost ready to go, with final touches being put in place by the ministry, according to Samir. 

The assistant minister reported that the museum in Sharm el-Sheikh Museum is 98 percent complete.  

The museum includes six exhibition halls and an administrative building, a cafeteria, a food court, a building for bazaars, antique craft shops, an open-air theater, and a staff rest building. 

Artifacts that were recently discovered in Egypt’s archaeological sites will be displayed at this museum for the first time, thus enriching its appeal. 

According to Samir, the Sharm el-Sheikh Museum has received approximately 5,800 artifacts.

Source: Egypt independent