World Tourism Organization in Cairo

An international seminar organized by the World Tourism Organization in cooperation with Egypt's Ministry of Tourism opened in Cairo last week to examine the economic aspects of the tourist industry.

Minister of Tourism Mamdouh Beltagi stressed that the tourism industry is of paramount international importance not only because of the hard currency it generates but also because of the thousands of jobs it creates.

Tourism also has a considerable impact on different economic activities, Tourism Ministry undersecretary H. Badran, who read Beltagi's speech at the seminar, said the gathering is meant to exchange information on the economic impact of tourism and develop ways of encouraging this thriving industry, Al-Ahram daily said.