Politics

Hurghada plays host to touring seminar on Internet's importance to the tourism sector

Agencies
Agencies
2 Min Read

HURGHADA: As part of the USAID project “While in Egypt Stay Connected and in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and the Egyptian Hotel Association, the Hotel Information Program’s tour of seven Egyptian tourist areas comes to Hurghada.

Hurghada’s top three, four, and five-star hotel operators attended the Hurghada stop of the Hotel Information Program tour, the first educational seminar in Egypt on the importance of the Internet for the tourism sector.

The Hotel Information Program is a touring educational seminar to inform hotel operators about the importance of the Internet in tourism today.

“Developing the tourism sector through global standards is critical for Egypt, with one crucial step being the full recognition of the significance of Internet services across this vital sector, said Ismail Abaza, senior tourism advisor to the project. “The program intends to help tourists ‘stay connected’ while visiting Egypt: to stay in touch with family and friends back home, find online information for vacation planning, and much more.

The hotel educational seminar arrived in Hurghada on May 7, having started in Sharm El Sheikh on April 16 followed by Luxor and Aswan from April 23 to April 26. After Hurghada, the seminar will travel to Nuweiba, then Alexandria, and concluding in Cairo in mid-May. As part of the seminar, the most prominent Internet-related companies will showcase cutting-edge programs and services for web design and connectivity/communications solutions, with special offers for the participating hotels.

“By adopting the latest Internet technology, hotels can build an even stronger competitive edge for themselves and the Egyptian tourism sector overall, said Abaza. “The hotels are encouraged to not only get connected by installing high-speed Internet in hotel rooms and business centers, but also to get visible by creating a website, ideally with the capability for online reservation services.

The program is funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and sponsored by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT).

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Feature: Century-old Suez Canal bears witness to vicissitudes of Egyptians being trapped and salvaged "Remember that you are not merely shifting earth, you are bringing prosperity to both your families and this beautiful land," the groundbreaker Ferdinand de Lesseps, former French vice-consul in Egypt's Alexandria, told Egyptian workers rallied around him at the ceremony. What unfolded afterward, however, proved his speech was yet another hollow promise by Western colonizers. A cargo ship travels on the Suez Canal in Ismailia Province, Egypt, Jan. 13, 2024. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa) In the ensuing years, 120,000 Egyptians toiled to death during the excavation. After the completion of the canal, Britain and France, scheming to control the vital maritime trade route, employed debt traps and even resorted to warfare against Egypt, plunging its populace into a century-long misery. "Perhaps in the eyes of others, the canal is just a trade route, but for Egyptians, blood and tears flow there," recalled Wael Kaddour, who had served as a board member of Egypt's Suez Canal Authority. "It's part of our lives," said the 80-year-old man. HOLLOW PROMISE Thursday marked the 165th anniversary of the Suez Canal's excavation. The story of the canal began in 1854 when Mohamed Said, the ruler of Egypt, granted de Lesseps the concession to set up a company to build the canal and to operate it for 99 years before giving back its ownership to Egypt. The concession stipulated that Egypt ceded the rights to dig and manage the canal to the Universal Company of the Maritime Canal of Suez founded by de Lesseps while providing the land and four-fifths of the labor force for the canal project at no cost. A large ship travels on the Suez Canal in Ismailia Province, Egypt, Jan. 13, 2024. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa) To raise the 200 million francs needed for the canal's excavation, de Lesseps's company split the funds into 400,000 shares available for public purchase. However, just over half of these shares were bought, with Egypt acquiring less than 100,000 shares. None of the shares allocated for Britain, the United States, Austria, and Russia found buyers. The French, keen to ensure the success of the Suez Canal project, encouraged Egyptians to purchase the remaining shares. However, given Egypt's already strained finances, it seemed impossible to afford such a substantial amount. Said had no choice but to borrow large sums from Britain and France at exorbitant interest rates. This marked the start of Egypt's gradual fall into a carefully designed debt trap laid out by Western powers. As the excavation progressed, costs soared, leaving Egypt with no choice but to keep borrowing from Britain and France. Egyptian railways, land, and even future canal revenues were all pledged as collateral to European nations. By the time the canal was completed, Egypt's financial situation was on the brink of collapse. European capital has largely swallowed up the Egyptian peasant economy. Enormous tracts of land, labor, and numerous labor products, have ultimately been converted into European capital and have been accumulated, wrote Polish-German political theoretician Rosa Luxemburg. From the inception of canal construction until the mid-1870s, Egypt's external debts increased 23 times, while revenues increased only five times. The debt service absorbed two-thirds of state revenues. In 1876, Egypt, overwhelmed by its rapidly accumulating debt, declared bankruptcy. Seizing the opportunity, British creditors moved to claim Egypt's shares in the Suez Canal, and Western powers took full control of the canal without firing a single shot. MILESTONE TOWARD NATION INDEPENDENCE Despite the loss of several friends and relatives in the war sparked by the canal's nationalization, Kaddour said he still took pride in former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser's decision made 68 years ago. The nationalization of the Suez Canal has changed the destiny of Egypt, he said. A vessel is seen on the Suez Canal in Ismailia Province, Egypt, on Jan. 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa) In 1952, Egyptian military officers led by Nasser staged a revolution, overthrowing the pro-Western monarchy, and the following year witnessed the establishment of the Republic of Egypt. On July 26, 1956, 100,000 Egyptians gathered at Liberation Square in Alexandria to celebrate the fourth anniversary of the revolution. Before the cheering crowd, Nasser declared that he had signed into law the nationalization of the Suez Canal Company on that very day. "We shall not let imperialists or exploiters dominate us. 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Feature: Century-old Suez Canal bears witness to vicissitudes of Egyptians being trapped and salvaged
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