Egypt's Tourism Minister Rania el Mashaat met in London with Chief Executive Officer for Thomas Cook Group Peter Fankhauser to discuss means of fostering relations and opening new markets for Egyptian tourism from China and Eastern Europe.

In a press release, the Ministry of Tourism said that the meeting was attended by a number of leaderships in Thomas Cook Group, head of the Tourism Promotion Authority Ahmed Youssef and tourism advisor in London Amr el Ezzaby.

Fankhauser said that more tourists are wishing to spend their vacation in Egypt especially in Luxor and Marsa Allam cities. He wished that Egypt will launch a direct flight to Sharm El-Sheikh to receive more tourists.

The minister noted that there are a lot of opportunities for tourism investment in Egypt especially in New Alamin area that was inaugurated recently by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi as well as other areas in the Red Sea region.

Mashaat asserted that the government is giving great attention to the tourism industry as one of the main pillars of Egypt's national economy. She noted that her ministry is cooperating and coordinating with the ministries antiquities and civil aviation to develop the tourism sector.