Pope Visit to Egypt Contributes to the Increase in the Number of Tourists travelling to the Land of the Nile

Pope Franciscus, the 266th and current Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, visited Egypt at the end of last April when he met up with the Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah El Sisi, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, and Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria. This visit largely contributed to an increase of the tourists who travel to Egypt. It is worth mentioning that this is the first visit of the Catholic Pope to Egypt since Pope John Paul II visited the land of the Nile back in 2000. Pope Franciscus traveled to Egypt on Friday, the 28th of April, in a visit that lasted for two days. Sherif Ismail, the Egyptian Prime Minister welcomed the pope at the Cairo Airport. The first place Pope Franciscus visited in Egypt was Al Ethadeya Palace where he met Abdel Fattah El Sisi, the Egyptian President. Afterwards, the pope went to the Al Azhar Mosque to meet Al Sheikh Ahmed Al Tayeb, the Gran Imam of Al Azhar. The pope also participated in a mass that was titled, "the pope of peace in the land of peace' where all the sects of Catholics in Egypt prayed together. One of the most important parts of the Pope's visit to Egypt was when he participated in Al-Azhar's International Peace Conference. Pope Franciscus gave a speech about peace and the importance of positive manners and behaviors. The pope began his speech in the conference by saying, "Al Salam Alaykom, the official greeting in Islam that encourages peaces and he was rewarded by a great applaud by the attendees. Local and international tourism expert asserted that the visit of the Pope to Egypt was the best promotion for tourism in the land of the Nile. The Egyptian Minister of Tourism, Yehia Rashad, noted that the visit of the pope was broadcasted through various media outlets including international TV channels, newspapers, and social media. This is the best promotion that would encourage tourists to travel to Egypt. Rashad added that more than 100 satellite channels addressed the visit of the Pope to Egypt and they all spoke positively about the land of the Pharaohs. All this coverage encouraged more tourists to spend their vacations in Egypt. He added that the pope also expressed that Egypt is the land of all religions and peace. Moreover, Corriere Della Sera, the famous Italian newspaper noted that the Pope's visit to Egypt is a considerable message of peace to the whole world. The newspaper added, through its website, that the visit proves that Egypt enjoy stability that encourages a notable increase in the number of tourists who travel to Egypt. It is worth mentioning that the land of the Nile has witnessed a large increase in the number of tourists who spend their vacations in Egypt during the past 2 years, in comparison to the 2 years before. This is because when President El Sisy ruled the country, Egypt became more stable and welcoming for tourists who come from different places around the world.