Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly instructed the government on Thursday to study a prepared plan by the end of the month to promote yacht tourism.
The strategy was prepared in line with directives from President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Madbouly in order to leverage the country’s long coasts and beaches along the Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea, a statement released following a cabinet meeting earlier today said.
The Egyptian government was ordered to start implementing this strategy once the study is completed, according to the statement.
Tourism Minister Khaled El-Anani said that Egypt has 2,400 kilometres of coasts and beaches, which feature numerous tourist resorts.
He stressed the “economic importance” of yacht tourism, which brings in substantial revenues through transit and docking fees, taxes, fuel sales and maintenance fees.
El-Anani said the average spending of yacht tourists could be 94% higher than other travelers. He put the value of yacht tourism in the Mediterranean region at about 300 billion dollars annually.
Yacht tourism also helps create jobs, directly and indirectly, in the travel and service sectors, especially for youth.
Meanwhile, Transport minister Kamel El-Wazir said the government’s strategy should include a unified pricing policy and discounts to attract ships and yachts. He also stressed the importance of upgrading the efficiency of tourist ports and establishing a yacht marina.
A marketing plan is also needed to promote yacht tourism in Egypt, El-Wazir told the cabinet.
El-Wazir also announced that an electronic portal would be launched to make procedures and the issuance of permits and unified bills easier for bodies concerned with yacht tourism.
On Sunday, Head of Maritime Transport Sector Major General Reda Ismail said Egypt is launching a digital platform to promote yacht tourism in the country, in a move aimed at facilitating procedures and the obtaining of security permits through a single website.
Egypt’s geographical position makes it advantageous for yacht tourism as it overlooks the Mediterranean Sea with a coastline of 995 kilometres and the Red Sea with a coastline of 1,941 kilometres, as well as the Nile River, which runs the length of the country.
A national plan has been implemented to raise the efficiency of ports and marinas in Egypt as well as to ensure the construction of new ports.
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