Manama, September 3 /BNA/ In the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, may God protect him, and within the framework of his official visit to the sisterly Arab Republic of Egypt, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt regarding cooperation in the field of tourism. It was signed on the Bahraini side by His Excellency Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and on the Egyptian side by His Excellency Mr. Ahmed Kouchouk, Minister of Finance.

On this occasion, Her Excellency Mrs. Fatima bint Jaafar Al-Sirafi, Minister of Tourism, confirmed that the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Tourism of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of the Arab Republic of Egypt aims to enhance tourism cooperation between the two brotherly countries by encouraging the exchange of familiarization visits in the tourism field and employing the latest technologies in tourism promotion.

Al-Sirafi pointed out that this step comes within the framework of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s vision to enhance joint cooperation and expand sustainable growth opportunities in the tourism sector, contributing to achieving common interests, based on the rich cultural heritage of the two brotherly countries and their prominent tourist and heritage destinations, which represent a main destination for a large number of tourists and visitors, in line with the goals of the Tourism Strategy 2022-2026.

The Minister of Tourism emphasized the importance of enhancing joint efforts to implement tourism development visions, noting that the Memorandum of Understanding will work on cooperation in organizing exhibitions, festivals, and tourism events, organizing reciprocal tourism weeks in both countries and promoting them, in addition to holding joint workshops.

Al-Sirafi added that the agreement focused on investment in tourism activities by presenting tourism investment opportunities, incentives, facilities, and guarantees for new tourism projects in both countries, and exchanging information related to legislation concerning tourism investment and tourism development projects.

She confirmed that cooperation will include coordination within regional and international forums and organizations, alongside exchanging expertise in tourism qualification and training, exchanging best practices in sustainable tourism, including innovation and digital transformation, and supporting green tourism.