The chairman of the Tour Guides Syndicate was pleased with the content of President Mohamed Morsy's speech in Tahrir Square on Saturday, in which he discussed tourism. Moatez al-Sayed said that the speech was especially good since Morsy mentioned the sector’s employees who were neglected in Morsy's first speech.
Sayed told Al-Masry Al-Youm that “The Syndicate will send a request to the Presidency within the next few days to meet with the President, and to present the demands of guides and employees working in the tourism sector."
He explained that the president's speech was appreciated by both those working in tourism and in countries that export tourism to Egypt. He added that Morsy must visit Egypt’s tourist areas, especially the beach areas, and deliver a speech from these areas to reassure the world and encourage tourists to visit Egypt.
Sayed went on to say that the tourism sector demands include a reduction in tour guides, health care at the state’s expense, and for the state to guarantee resources for the syndicate so it can meet its member's demands.
Sayed said he was invited to attend the President's speech at Cairo University and that he met a large number of Freedom and Justice Party officials. He added that they promised him to develop the tourism sector so that it can play its role in supporting the national economy similar to prior to the 25 January revolution.
With the growing influence of Islamists in the wake of the overthrow of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, tourism sector workers raised concerns that hard-line attitudes could harm tourism, one of Egypt’s major sources of national income.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
