South Africa and Egypt has signed an Executive Programme on Tourism Cooperation during the state visit by President Jacob Zuma. The Executive Programme is aimed at activating the Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Tourism that was signed by the two countries on 26 August 1997.
The signing concludes many rounds of intensive discussions and negotiations between the two countries. The two countries met again back in March this year in South Africa where discussions on the agreement were thrashed but could not be concluded.
According to the Deputy Minister of Tourism Ms Tokozile Xasa, “the areas of cooperation identified include Promotion and Marketing, Training, Exchange of information, Tourism investment and legislation.
The countries will establish a Joint Tourism Committee that will oversee the implementation of the executive programme.“The committee will include other industry players from both public and private institutions who will be the main drivers of the programme” she said.
The Deputy Minister Xasa was part of the delegation that accompanied and supported President Jacob Zuma to Egypt where a number of agreements were concluded. The purpose of the visit was to strengthen the relationship between the two countries, especially now that Egypt is an important partner for South Africa on the continent.
“It is through this kind of cooperation that South Africa can maximise its diplomatic presence in the specific market countries.” “We have identified, as part of our strategy for Africa Tourism development, the need to expand the tourism industry impact of travellers from our neighbouring countries and develop key other African markets” she concluded.
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