The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities participates in the meetings of the 122nd session of the Executive Council of the United Nations Tourism Organization
– The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities participates in the meetings of the 122nd session of the Executive Council of the United Nations Tourism Organization in Colombia
– Announcing the victory of the villages of Gharb Suhail in Aswan Governorate and Abu Ghosoun in the Red Sea Governorate among the best Tourist rural villages for the year 2024
The United Nations Tourism Organization announced that the villages of Gharb Suhail in Aswan Governorate and Abu Ghosoun in the Red Sea Governorate won among the best tourist rural villages for the year 2024. This was during the participation of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in the meetings of the 122nd session of the Executive Council of the United Nations Tourism Organization, which is currently being held in the city of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.
These two villages were chosen due to Because they meet the standards set by the organization in this context.
The award shields for these two villages and their certificates were handed over to Engineer Adel Al-Jundi, Director General of the General Administration of Strategic Management at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. During an official ceremony attended by Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of the United Nations Tourism Organization, Ms. Basma Al-Mayman, Regional Director for the Middle East Region of the Organization, the Mayor of the city of Cartagena in the State of Colombia, and the Minister of Economy and Tourism of the State of Colombia.
< p>For his part, Sherif Fathi, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, expressed his happiness at these two villages winning among the best rural tourist villages for the year 2024, which is the culmination of many efforts, congratulating everyone who contributed to achieving this achievement.
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The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities was keen to prepare the file of these two villages with care and precision through a technical work team from the ministry, especially in light of the great interest the ministry attaches to the rural tourism file. Thus, Egypt has been able to directly place four villages on the list of the best The rural tourist villages are the villages of Gharb Suhail in Aswan Governorate and Abu Ghosoun in the Red Sea Governorate in 2024, next to the villages of Dahshur in Giza Governorate and Siwa in Matrouh Governorate in 2023, in addition to placing two villages on the promotion list, which are Fuwah village in Kafr El Sheikh Governorate in 2021, and St. Catherine in Kafr El Sheikh Governorate in 2021. South Sinai in 2023.
Engineer Adel El-Gendy stressed the importance of placing these villages on the platform created by the United Nations Tourism Organization for the best tourist rural villages, which contributes to promoting the tourist destination. Egyptian tourism in general and the rural tourism product in particular, which United Nations organizations attach great importance to due to the relationship between tourism and the ability of tourism activity to provide job opportunities and raise the economic and social level of citizens.
He pointed out Since the United Nations Tourism Organization announced, last January, the launch of the fourth edition of the Best Tourist Villages Initiative for the year 2024, the Ministry’s General Administration of Strategic Management immediately prepared detailed studies for a number of Egyptian tourist villages that implement systems for developing and supporting cultural heritage and achieving Sustainable development, and these two villages were chosen.
The Ministry took many measures that contributed to the victory of these two villages, as the Ministry contributed to rehabilitating the tourism infrastructure of the two villages, and also implemented A training program that ensures the involvement of the local community in tourism activities, which included organizing several workshops on raising awareness of the importance of tourism to the national economy, on the simplified English language for dealing with visitors, how to manage solid waste, how to manage tourism activities and serve visitors, and the local rural tourism guidance program.
Gharb Suhail village is one of the villages located on the banks of the Nile River in Aswan Governorate, which represents an icon of the Egyptian cultural heritage, which is still preserved by its people. Whoever visits it experiences the atmosphere of old Nubian houses in their style. And the customs of its people. The village still maintains the old Nubian style of Nubian homes, customs, and heritage artifacts, where the visitor enjoys a unique community tourism experience and provides a unique opportunity to learn about the cultural and popular heritage of the village, which is one of the Ministry’s goals to provide a unique tourist experience for areas with unique privacy. Niche product.
As for the village of Abu Ghosoun in the Red Sea Governorate, it is one of the local communities with a very special touristic nature and is located near the Hankorab Reserve in the south of the Red Sea. Its people present their heritage heritage to visitors in a distinguished and responsible manner, aware of the importance Preserving the environment, which represents a primary source of their income.
It is worth noting that the Best Rural Tourist Villages Initiative is an annual initiative launched by the United Nations Tourism Organization since 2021, and this initiative participated in In the year, 260 villages around the world won, of which 55 won on the list of the best rural tourist villages.
The United Nations Tourism Organization has set nine criteria for selecting these villages, which are the availability of cultural and natural resources, The ability of the tourism sector to preserve and enhance these resources, provide economic sustainability and integration, and govern tourism activities in villages to achieve the state’s value chains, infrastructure, tourism and communication services, and the availability of tourism safety, health and safety standards.
