Mohamed Abou El-Enein, the Honorary President of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly, said that he was happy to attend this historic event with the Pope, who is a respected international figure, and his presence with the Egyptian delegation headed by Tourism Minister Yahya Rashed to attend this historic event, as well as his for Christian Pilgrimage.
Abou El-Enein stressed that Egypt, with its long history and its Pharaonic Coptic Islamic civilization, deserves to be the first country in the world of tourism because of its historical monuments and extended beaches. He added that we have to take serious steps and remove obstacles to start creating investment opportunities in the path of the Holy Family.
He explained that the role of the armed forces in the current period is very important to prepare the path of the Holy Family and the reception of tourists. The religious tourism is one of the most important tributaries of international tourism. There should be a global marketing for Coptic pilgrims to visit the Path of the Holy Family through specialized international.
For his part, Nader Gerges, the coordinator of the Committee preparing for the event of Journey of the Holy Family, said that this event is a qualitative leap in the history of modern Egypt, pointing out that this step confirms Egypt’s tourism status to the world.
He added that President El-Sisi’ visit to the Vatican was a key factor in putting this tourism product in the spotlight, pointing out that the visit of the President to the Vatican was the first step to improve the relations between the two churches, which separated since the sixth century.
He pointed out that Pope Francis’ speech about Egypt to the whole world and documenting the path is the best propaganda for the new product that Egypt is offering, which is being implemented in 2015. In addition, the religious tourism is expected to bring 2 million Christian pilgrims.
For her part, MP Sahar Talaat Mustafa, Chairman of the Committee on Tourism and Aviation in the House of Representatives, expressed her pride and happiness to participate in this event, pointing to its importance. She also stressed that this event is a global event that conveys a great cultural image of Egypt abroad.
She explained the cooperation and coordination between all concerned bodies and different sectors of the State to contribute to the success of this event.
She also praised the positive steps that have been taken in this regard since the invitation of President Abdul Fattah El-Sisi to the Pope of the Vatican to visit Egypt. She added that what happened in the Vatican is a message to reassure the whole world that Egypt is safe.
