President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi gave directives to provide all the needed support and possible resources to ensure the success of tourism and antiquities projects and ceremonies, as well as reveal the real image of the Egyptian state, Minister of Tourism Khaled El-Enany said.

In an interview on Thursday with Ali Hassan, board chairman and editor-in-chief of the state’s news agency MENA, El-Enany asserted that El-Sisi closely follows up on all tourism and archaeological projects, adding that the unprecedented archaeological inaugurations witnessed in Egypt were all done under El-Sisi’s directives.

He said that El-Sisi’s presence at the Pharaohs' Golden Parade affirms his keenness on promoting tourism and archaeology.

Furthermore, El-Enany said that the president instructed that all procedures within hotels and tourism facilities should be streamlined for the convenience of all visitors.

The president has also invited kings and world leaders to visit various archaeological sites within the framework of promoting Egyptian tourism and antiquities.

Minister of Tourism Khaled El-Enany with Ali Hassan, board chairman and editor-in-chief of the state’s news agency MENA during the interview on Thursday, 19, August,2021.

The minister lauded the safety and security achieved in Egypt under El-Sisi’s leadership, adding that they have positively reflected on the restoration of the tourism movement in Egypt.

He also assured that the relocation of Khufu’s solar ship to the Grand Egyptian Museum was done successfully with the use of state-of-the-art technological methods.

El-Enany also said that the Pharaohs' Golden Parade represents the best publicity Egypt has ever gotten, as it was watched all over the world.

On the preparations to inaugurate the Grand Egyptian Museum, El-Enany said that it depends on the end of the coronavirus globally, as the state aims to invite leaders, kings, presidents, and famous figures from all over the world to attend the inauguration.

As for the Kebash road in Luxor, El-Enany said that a ceremony like the Pharaohs' Golden Parade is being prepared to inaugurate it.

He said that the museums launched in other governorates are also very important, especially those in South Sinai’s Sharm El-Sheikh and the Red Sea’s Hurghada, adding that more than 20 museums were inaugurated in the past few years.

El-Enany added that preparations for Egypt’s Capitals Museum were also finalised, and it is ready to be inaugurated soon.

The minister said that he is honoured to work with an exceptional generation of archaeologists who succeeded in unearthing unprecedented discoveries that contributed to promoting Egypt.

He emphasised that the role of Egyptian archaeological missions was not only to make discoveries, but to also renovate museums and inaugurate a large number of archaeological mosques, churches, and palaces, adding that all these activities are done under the directives of President El-Sisi.

There is also cooperation between the ministries of justice and foreign affairs to repatriate Egyptian monuments that were illegally smuggled abroad, he said, adding that the Egyptian state has managed to bring more than 30,000 artifacts, including 22,000 archaeological coins, back home over the past few years.

El-Enany mentioned that the Central Bank of Egypt has been strongly supporting the tourism sector since the start of the coronavirus crisis.

Currently, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities is working on increasing Egyptians’ awareness of their monuments via social media and initiatives that were launched for children and students to get acquainted with the history of the country’s artifacts, he added.