(Posted 03rd March 2024)
By Alain St Ange
Tourism is an industry and not an activity, and success continues to be assured when industry professionals appreciate that the bonds of friendship created during the years of work remains the cornerstone of this human industry.
I have just ended a working mission in Egypt with the Afro-Asian Union (AFASU) working alongside a delegation comprising of leaders in the tourism and travel industry, including Mr. Theodore Koumelis, CEO of Travel Daily News, and Dr. Jens Thraenhart, Founding Partner & CEO of Chameleon Strategies and editor of BalancedTourism.com. The host, Dr. Hossam Darwish, President of AFASU and his Team planned this working mission with a vision to strengthen connections between Africa and Asia in the realms of tourism, culture, and e-commerce. As a participant in this working mission to Egypt, I was privileged of witnessing firsthand the potential for this authentic tourism source market and a great country to solidify its position as a global leader in tourism, technology, and sustainable development.
Sitting alongside my two colleagues (Mr. Theodore Koumelis, CEO of Travel Daily News, and Dr. Jens Thraenhart, Founding Partner & CEO of Chameleon Strategies and editor of BalancedTourism.com) who were invited to Egypt for this weeklong working mission I was privileged to witness AFASU’s formal recognition of Sharm El Sheikh as a safe tourism destination and the exceptional leadership of the Governor of South Sinai, Major General Dr. Khaled Fouda in promoting sustainable practices in the region, highlighting the commitment of Egypt to provide a secure and welcoming environment for travellers. We were all three invited to address the ceremony that was attended by Ministers, and many an official of the Egyptian Government and leaders from the country’s private sector trade.
Sharm El Sheikh’s commitment to security, the essential ingredient to a succesful tourism industry, their green tourism drive and their committed and appreciated private sector trade sends a powerful message to the global travel community. With Sharm El Sheikh’s successes, Egypt is setting a benchmark for destinations striving for long-term success. We saw the significant steps taken by Sharm El Sheikh’s towards sustainability and minimizing its ecological impact and they have been serious as a leading destination in the field of sustainable tourism and showed to the world even more of their ongoing commitment after hosting COP27 in 2022.
On the ultra-important security for visitors question, Mr. Theodore Koumelis, CEO of Travel Daily News, Dr. Jens Thraenhart, Founding Partner & CEO of Chameleon Strategies and editor of BalancedTourism.com and I were treated to a discovery trip of the behind the scene of their Security Machine. Saying that we were impressed is an understatement. The City and its surrounded areas are monitored by professionals from a central location and as we toured this facility, we could but admire the degree of details they go into to assure safety and security for tourism and for each and every Egyptians.
