Egyptian antiques to boost tourism sector after years of recession

Egypt's Ministry of Tourism has decided to join the Antiquities Ministry in organizing ceremonial events to announce the archaeological discoveries as part of a plan to boost tourism. The archaeological discoveries are flourishing in several provinces in Egypt.

Both ministries cooperate will invite foreign media outlets to cover the discoveries and many foreign ambassadors to witness them, considering them messengers to convey a message to the whole world about Egypt's safety and unique antiquities. On the World Heritage Day of April 18, the ministries marked the international event by announcing the discovery of a large 3,500-year-old rock-cut tomb on the Nile River's west bank near the Valley of Kings in Upper Egypt's monument-rich province of Luxor.

"These various discoveries, along with the different exhibitions of Egyptian antiquities abroad, attract more tourists to come to Egypt," Tourism Minister Rania al-Mashat told Xinhua during the ceremony attended by the Egyptian prime minister and other officials, celebrities and about 20 foreign ambassadors. "We try to tell the whole world that Egypt's different provinces constantly impress us with new discoveries," she added.

"We have a very active excavation season this year as we have made several discoveries over the past few weeks," Egyptian Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anany told Xinhua at the archaeological site in Luxor, noting that such discoveries "boost cultural tourism in Egypt."

The industry brought Egypt about USD 13 billion in revenues in 2010 alone, when some 14.7 million tourists visited the country. It is now recovering from a later recession caused by political turmoil and relevant security challenges that resulted from the ouster of two heads of state in 2011 and 2013. While excavation works are going on continuously in Egypt, the giant Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is currently being constructed on an area of 491,000 square meters just two kilometres from the Great Pyramid of Giza.

"We have growing archaeological discoveries in all provinces, and the largest gift Egypt will offer the world is the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum by the end of 2020," the tourism minister said in a recent statement in Luxor, as reported by Xinhua.

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