Egypt opened its doors for visitors at the beginning of July, while cultural activities resumed at the start of September CAIRO: More than 400,000 tourists have visited Egypt since July without a single reported case of coronavirus, according to the country’s tourism ministry. Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Khaled El-Anany, said preventive measures and safety regulations implemented in Egyptian hotels, museums, archaeological sites and tourist destinations had ensured a successful return to tourism amid the global pandemic. Egypt opened its doors for visitors at the beginning of July, while cultural activities resumed at the start of September. El-Anany also said that the World Travel and Tourism Council has awarded Egypt a “Safe Travels” stamp. He highlighted the Egyptian government’s eagerness to boost tourism and support the sector during the pandemic. Initiatives included incentives to travel companies and agents to organize trips to tourist destinations across the country, an exemption from visa fees and a reduction in landing fees. As part of the ministry’s plan to merge beach tourism with cultural tourism, Sharm El-Sheikh Museum was inaugurated by the end of last October as the first museum to display archaeological artefacts in the region. The step followed the inauguration of Hurghada Museum as the first museum to display archaeological artefacts in the Red Sea governorate. These museums will attract visitors to archaeological sites and museums in Luxor and Aswan as part of Egypt’s strategy to link Upper Egyptian cities with their Red Sea counterparts, and to make a variety of destinations available as part of achieving sustainable tourist development.