Largest #tourism #project launched in #Giza – #Egypt

 

 

CAIRO, Egypt – In an effort to revitalise the tourism sector, Giza Governor Ali Abdel Rahman announced on Sunday the details of the “largest” tourism service project in the governorate at a cost of EGP 7.5m, according to a statement from the governorate.

Ministry of Tourism will fund the project which will be implemented by Ministry of Antiquities, Abdel Rahman said. Situated near Haram Street, the project will include 280 bazaars, commercial shops, touristic restaurants and cafes with the aim of serving tourists.

According to Abdel Rahman, the tender to implement the project will be issued on a usufruct basis for the developers within a month. The announcement followed a Sunday visit by the governor to the project site, which he said would attract tourists due to proximity to the Giza Pyramids.

A total of EGP 21m has been allocated by the governorate to develop roads in the area of Haram Street, with Abdel Rahman pointed out that the governorate has spent EGP 25m on this over the past two years.

The tourism sector struggled in 2013 after many European and foreign governments warned travel agencies in August to stop selling holiday packages to Egypt amid rising fears of violence after the dispersal of a sit-in held by supporters of former president Mohamed Morsi.

The Ministry of Finance recently announced that tourism revenues in the first half of fiscal year (FY) 2013/2014 are down 66% year on year, registering $1.9bn. Minister of Tourism Hisham Zaazou announced last week an increase in visa fees for tourists visiting the country from $15 to $25. In a positive outlook, however, Zaazou said he expected the number of tourists to increase by 3 million in 2014 to 12.5 million, up from 9.5 million in 2013, generating $11bn in revenues.

Source: dailynewsegypt.com

The historical expedition of Prince Kamal El Din Hussein

Under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism This is a historic event taking place from the 14th to 26th of March 2014.

Who is the Prince?

The Prince  Kamal El Din Hussain (son of Sultan Hussain) who was heading out into the deep desert with Citroen Kegresse Autochinelles in the years 1923 – 1926.  Massive camel caravans of up to 500 animals were carrying his fuel supply as the logistical backbone of his ventures. He was the one who found and named the Gilf Kebir Plateau.A memorial plaque was laid down by Count Lazlo Almasy – better known as – The English Patient. This plaque was placed in honor of the Prince at the southern tip of the Gilf Kebir Plateau in 1933 after his death. The Hollywood film “The English Patient”, won nine Oscars in 1996. The Prince was the first to introduce the automobile into deep desert explorations.After 1 year of the construction of the memorial Almasy returned with tourists to revisit the site. That expedition was sponsored by the Royal Automobile Club of Egypt which was represented by Prince Muhammed Abdel Moneim and by the Ahram Newspaper represented by Hassan Sobhi.

The preliminary agenda for passengers

13 March 2014 – Arriving Cairo
Overseas participants arrive in Cairo. We will assist with hotel bookings and we will be delighted to assist and organize transfers to the hotels (only hotels listed as participating in Kamal Expedition).

14 March 2014 – Opening ceremony – Flight – Drive heading to Gilf Kebir
We will have a transfer organized from the hotels of our choice to the Kamal Expedition Opening Ceremony which will be held at the Automobile & Touring Club of Egypt in Cairo. You also have the choice of joining us independently at the Club if you wish. After a brunch and the ceremony we will be heading to the Cairo International Airport to catch a charter flight to Dakhla Oasis.
At the airport of Dakhla the packed 4×4 cars will be waiting for us and will bring us to have lunch. Meanwhile the last formalities will be finished with the government to have
a fast start to the desert after lunch. Divided into several groups, the participants will be leaving the Oasis heading south on the Asphalt Road. Leaving the road, our first visit will be the Balise of Saviem Trucks which traversed the entire Sahara from West to East in 1977 (from the Atlantic ocean to the Nile). In the area of G-Hills we will be looking for a camping place. In the evening we will have the chance to listen to an interesting lecture on a chosen topic related to the desert by one of our top speakers.

15 March 2014 – Wadi Eight Bells
After breakfast, we will be continuing in groups crossing different desert landscapes to approach the Gilf El Kebir plateau. We will find some relics from the Second World War: broken down Cars which were used by the British Special Forces, the Long Range Desert Group. We will also cross some dunes to reach the landing ground of 8 Bells where we will set up camps nearby. Like every night we will have the chance to listen to an interesting lecture on the desert by one of our top speakers.

16 March 2014 – Gilf Kebir – Wadi Wassa – Kamal El DIn Monument
We will be traveling through the Wadi Eight Bells to reach the Wadi Wassa and the Rock paintings of the Mararet el Qantara which was found in 1935 by a British explorer group under the leadership of Shaw. From here we will be heading south to the southern tip of the Gilf el Kebir Plateau where Almasy erected the Kamal El Din Monument 81 years ago. Nearby, we will find a set up prepared for the group. It will be on that occasion were all the groups will be gathered together and we would have a longer entertaining program for you that evening including the screening of a documentary film. If you do not feel like attending the screening, you could enjoy the calm evening weather some hundred metres away.

17 March 2014 – Camil Crater
After a late evening, the starting of the groups will be delayed. They will be heading to the south to reach the meteorite crater of Gebel Kamil, where they will be camping nearby. The evening will once again be filled with an interesting topic of one of the speakers.

18 March 2014 – Gebel Uweinat – Karkur Talh
The groups will be heading towards Gebel Uweinat to arrive there after a few kilometers looking for camping places in the Karkur Talh area and will be exploring the different sites of the Gebel Uweinat. In the evening there will be a chance of attending another interesting lecture.

19 March 2014 – Rock cave near Peter & Paul
There will be a chance to have a short hike in the mountain in the morning before heading back north to reach some interesting rock art caves near the mountain of Peter & Paul. In the evening another interesting lecture will be organized.

20 March 2014 – Gilf Kebir – Wadi Sura
We will be reaching the area of Wadi Sura (the Cave of Swimmers) which became famous through the 1997 film The English Patient. We will be visiting the Clayton Cave and the Chinati Camp site exploring some rock paintings nearby. Before that, we will have a second gathering in front of the Cave of the Beast. Here all the groups will unite for a second time to watch a short film about the life of the late Egyptian Father of Environment, Prof. Mohammed el Kassas, who died on that day (March 21st) one year ago in Cairo. Through different presentations and a film we will have a second longer night in that area.

21 March 2014 – Gilf Kebir Aqaba Pass
The groups will split up again to move over the Three Castles to the Aqaba Pass to drive on top of the Gilf Kebir Plateau and to cross some dunes which are on top of the plateau. Here we will be looking for different camping areas and have the chance to another interesting lecture.

22 March 2014 – Gilf Kebir – Wadi Hamra
We will reach the higher level of the Plateau and have a nice view at Belle Vue
onto the southern plane. Driving along the edge of the plateau we will reach a passage which will get us to the southern tip of Wadi Hamra. Here, we will be visiting different engraving sites and have a special look at the different Fauna of the Gilf el Kebir area. We will be camping at the northern exit of the Wadi Hamra where each group will get a chance to listen to an interesting lecture.

23 March and 24 March 2014 – Crossing Great Sand Sea
These 2 days we will be crossing the dunes of the Great Sand Sea having exciting passages crossing the dunes from west to east.

25 March 2014 – White Desert
We will be back near the Wadi Obaid and we will be entering the National Park of the White desert. Here a buffet will be waiting for all the participants. The groups will be spread in the National Park and a last evening with lectures will end our evenings in the desert.

26 March 2014 – Cairo – Closing Ceremony in Mena Hous
We will be leaving the White Desert National Park heading back to the road in a northerly direction reaching Baharya Oasis where a lunch will be prepared for everyone. After lunch, a 300 kilometre drive to Gizeh will bring us to the Mena House Hotel at the foot of the Pyramids. After a welcome coffee and cakes, the closing ceremony will be held in the hotel and will include a dinner. The anniversary of the Prince Kamal el Din monument will come to the end of its journey.

for more info visit : http://www.kamalexpedition.com

under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism This is a historic event taking place from the 14th to 26th of March 2014. – See more at: http://en.egypt.travel/events/id/371#sthash.aYWVe1KJ.dpuf

Replica Tutankhamun tomb set to open in Luxor

A painstakingly accurate replica of King Tut’s tomb is set to open in Egypt – Luxor

Its existence will present visitors with the moral dilemma of paying to see the original tomb or helping to preserve its future existence by visiting the facsimile version instead. 

The Supreme Council of Antiquities commissioned carefully-crafted replicas of the tombs of Seti I, Nefertari and Tutankhamun back in 2009.

The move was a bid to stave off further irreparable damage caused by decades of tourists flocking to see the boy king’s burial chamber and other ancient tombs.

Changes in temperature and humidity, say experts, is causing the intricately painted plaster to crumble away from the walls. Visitors could soon be completely banned from entering them

A Madrid-based company, Factum Arte, which has worked with museums all over the world to produce facsimiles of endangered art, used high-tech 3D scanners to create the replica of King Tut’s tomb in a process that has taken several years to complete.

November will see the new version of the tomb of Tutankhamun installed just outside Howard Carter’s house, around half a mile from where the original lays in Luxor‘s Valley of the Kings.

On November 4th 1922, after years of toiling away in the Valley of the Kings, British archaeologist Howard Carter sensationally discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb and revealed one of the most significant Egyptian excavations of all time.

The fascination with Carter’s story and the perpetual promise of more discoveries has seen tourists pouring into the sun-drenched site although there has been a significant dip in tourism this year as the country has suffered from ongoing political protests.

One of the Factum Arte team, Briton Adam Lowe, is hopeful that the replica will become as popular as the orginal as visitors ‘become part of the force that protects it [the original] rather than a force that is leading to its destruction.’

He told the BBC: ‘They will have the thrill of visiting something they know is 3,000 years old and they have the guilt of knowing, as they look at it, that their presence is part of the reason why it won’t be there in another 100 years’ time.’

Source: dailymail

Classic Egypt back on map as FCO relaxes advice for tourists visiting Luxor and Aswan

British tourists wishing to visit the Valley of the Kings, home to Tutankhamun’s famous tomb, can once again do so safe in the knowledge that they will be covered by travel insurance after the British government relaxed long-standing advisories.

The FCO is still warning against all but essential travel to a large part of the country including Cairo and the North Sinai but destinations such as Luxor, Aswan and the Abu Simbel temples in Nubia are back on the map.

A spokesperson for the FCO said: ‘We continue to urge British nationals already in Egypt to follow the instructions of the local authorities and obey curfews where they are in place. There remains a high threat from terrorism throughout Egypt. This has not changed.’

They continued: ‘As always, the safety of British nationals is a priority. We continue to follow developments carefully, and keep our travel advice under continuous review.

‘British nationals should continue to monitor FCO travel advice closely for any updates and stay away from any demonstrations or protests.’

Speaking at a holiday industry conference in London last week, Egypt’s minister of tourism Hisham Zaazou told journalists: ‘More than 18 countries have lifted the travel advisory on Luxor and Aswan. As soon as the FCO revises its travel advice for the UK, we will work tirelessly with our valued media, travel agent and tour operator partners to communicate that the whole of Egypt is open.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2500039/Egypt-map-FCO-relaxes-advice-tourists-Luxor-Aswan.html#ixzz2kdoGTpIN

A message From the Minister of tourism in Egypt

The official message of H.E. HISHAM ZAAZOU, Egypt’s Minister of Tourism. The Message is addressed to the tour operators (Egypt’s professional partners).

on the official YouTube Channel

Hisham Zaazuo the Minister of Tourism Resigned 1st July

Each of the Minister of Tourism, Environment,Communication and the Minister of State for Parliamentary and Legal Affairs resigned  formally to the Council of Ministers to submit it to the presidency.

In protest at the poor performance of the institution of the presidency and not dealing with the will of the people and not to pay attention to events that fill the areas of Egypt .

8 million tourists visited Egypt in 2012: Minister

Thebes (Luxor Temple pictured) was the capital of many of the Dynasty XVI pharaohs. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Tourism minister Hisham Zazou stated that he is concerned about the negative impact of political events on cultural tourism

Around 8.1 million tourists visited Egypt over the past ten months, injecting some $10 billion into the economy, announced Minister of Tourism Hisham Zazou on Monday during the annual conference of the Scandinavian embassies in Cairo.Zazou added that around 96 million overnight stays by tourists in Egyptian hotels were recorded in the same period.

Malin Karre, the Swedish ambassador in Cairo, said that Scandinavian tourists consider Egypt to be one of the best beach tourism destinations worldwide.

The Egyptian minister confirmed that beach tourism in the country has bottomed out, while cultural tourism in Luxor and Aswan is suffering due to the negative impacts of political events.He hopes that the number of tourists will reach 11 million by the end of 2012.Zazou referred to the tourism as a vital pillar of the national economy, representing 11.3 per cent of Egypt’s gross domestic product and 17 per cent of its foreign currency reserves, in addition to 12.6 per cent of the total manpower of the state, with four million people directly employed in the industry.

Recently, Egypt’s Coalition to Support Tourism (CST) has that said it will file a case against top Egyptian officials for inaction in response to statements by a Salafist sheikh who called for the demolition of the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx.

In a television interview on Saturday night, radical Salafist scholar Morgan El-Gohary called for the destruction of Egypt’s monuments as they “were once worshipped and could be worshipped again.”

 

Tomb of Egyptian princess found

Egypt – Cairo – Saqqara

Czech archaeologists have unearthed the 4,500-year-old tomb of a Pharaonic princess south of Cairo, Egypt’s antiquities ministry said.

Ministry official Mohammed El-Bialy said that princess shert nebti’s burial site is surrounded by the tombs of four high officials from the fifth dynasty dating to around 2,500 BC in the Abu Sir complex near the famed step pyramid of Saqqara.

The official said further excavation is needed before the tomb can be opened to the public.

Antiquities minister Mohammed Ibrahim said in a statement that the ante-chamber to the tomb of the princess includes four
limestone columns and hieroglyphic inscriptions.

Egypt’s vital tourism industry has suffered from the country’s internal unrest in the wake of the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak.

@irishtimes.com & skynews 

Bahraini Ambassador to Egypt Attends Gulf Air Celebration

Cairo, Oct. 16 (BNA)— Bahraini Ambassador to Egypt and Permanent Representative to the Arab League Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa attended a celebration held by Gulf Air, Bahrain’s national carrier, to mark the 40th anniversary of the first air navigation line between Bahrain and Egypt.

The celebration was also attended by Egyptian Tourism Minister Mohammed Hisham Zazou, Gulf Air Deputy Chief Executive Maher Al-Musallam, ambassadors and renowned figures in civil aviation.

The Bahraini ambassador took pride in the company’s success over 40 years, since the inauguration of the airline between the two countries, which contributed to boosting historic bilateral relations, mainly in the economic, trade and tourism fields.
At the end, the Bahraini ambassador received a commemorative gift, which is the first EGP 10 paid to buy the first Gulf Air ticket from Cairo to Manama.

© B.N.A

Egypt’s tourism anticipates comeback in winter

Tourism in Egypt is on track to witness a comeback this coming winter amid latest efforts made by the State Ministry of Antiquities to revive the industry dealt a heavy blow by last year’s turmoil.
Before the winter sets in, which is a high season due to the nice weather characteristic of the bright sunshine, fresh air, and warm breeze, tourism officials are trying their best to revamp Egypt’s wonders across the nation in a bid to attract more visitors.
On Thursday, Egypt’s State Minister for Antiquities Mohammad Ibrahim announced in Giza governorate the opening of Khafre pyramid’s inner tomb to visitors, along with six other graves dating back to the Old Kingdom. “We want to send a message to the whole world that the tourism wheel is spinning and that Egypt is stable enough to complete projects and safe enough to receive the tourists,” he said.
Khafre pyramid is the second of the three pyramids located in Giza governorate that were hailed as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It was closed for three years for innovation works, including the ventilation system inside the pyramid.
“The pyramids are one of the world’s seven wonders, it is hard to imagine the old pharaohs were able to build such edifices standing for more than 4,500 years,” Adalina Alejo, 40, a Spanish tourist told Xinhua.
In the necropolis 136 meters west of the pyramid, five tombs were opened, including the tomb of Kah Am Ankh who was known to be in charge of the secrets of the kings’ documents.
Meanwhile, in the necropolis east of the pyramid, the tomb of King Cheop’s granddaughter Meresankh was opened. Meresankh’s tomb is believed to be the most beautiful tomb in the Haram monument area.
“This is the first time to me and my husband to visit Egypt, and we began our tour at the pyramids. Besides the pyramids, I enjoyed listening to the tour guide’s stories about the pharaohs’ traditions,” Astonina, 39, Russian tourist told Xinhua.
“It’s very interesting to know the pharaohs were keen on putting food and drink beside their dead bodies as they believed in resurrection,” she added.
State’s Center for Statistics recently reported that the number of foreign tourists coming to Egypt increased in the first half of the year by 26.8 percent compared with same period last year, reaching 5.2 million.
Founder of the Tour Leaders Association Momen Mahrous said the tourist number increased significantly after the presidential elections, noting one third of the five and four stars hotels in Sharm al-Shaiekh and Hurghada are reserved for November.
“Sharm al-Shaiekh and Hurghada are considered as the best tourism places in Egypt in the winter because of the wonderful weather as well as the water activities such as diving, water- skiing, and snorkeling”, Mahrous said.
Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Antiquities Mohsen el-Sayed expect better tourist turnout in the winter season, noting the antiquity ministry will re-opens some other tourist sites soon.
“Jewels museum, located in Alexandria, will be reopened for visitors on Oct. 16,” el-Sayed said. The museum is housed in an architectural masterpiece, a 93-year-old palace, and displays jewelry and golden antiquities related to the royal family who ruled Egypt from 1805 to 1952. El-Sayed mentioned other projects will be achieved by the year 2015, including Civilization Museum, Grand Egyptian Museum, and Sharm al-Shaiekh Museum 

© Xinhua@global times