In a bid to boost cooperation, the Egyptian Tourism Activation Authority is planning to organize a tourism week in July to be held in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, according to Daily News Egypt .
An unnamed Tourism Ministry official reportedly said that the tourism week was being organized in an effort to boost cooperation between Egyptian and Ethiopian companies as a result of the growth the economy is experiencing in Addis Ababa.
He also said that the Egyptian Travel Agents’ Association would cover the accommodation costs for the companies participating in the event, adding that the price would be $155 for three days for companies that agreed to cover 50 percent of transportation costs.
This mutual tourism initiative, which hopes to allow tourists to visit historical areas in Egypt and Ethiopia, as well as other Nile Basin countries, has been under consideration for years, according to the official.
He said that the Egyptian Tourism Ministry had been considering conducting tourism marketing efforts with the other Nile Basin countries for 10 years, but those proposals never came to light due to the challenges that have faced Egypt and other African countries in the last decade.
The cooperative move might come as a surprise to many due to the severe damage that was done to the relations between Egypt and Ethiopia as a result of the latter's building of the extremely controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which could affect Egypt's share of the Nile's water.
Egypt has stood in strong opposition of the dam for years because it has signed treaties dating from 1929 and 1959 that allocate it two-thirds of the Nile's water resources with the right to veto any project that could affect the river.
However, the official said it was because of that damage that it was important for Egypt to strengthen its ties with Ethiopia, as the country is currently expanding its tourism infrastructure and experiencing economic growth.