Dr. Ibrahim Abou Zekry, President of the General Union of Arab Producers, announced the date of the “Thank You Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” conference and ceremony, which was scheduled to be held in mid-December 2015, with the aim of supporting Egyptian tourism. The event was held under the patronage of the Egyptian Prime Minister Eng. Sherif Ismail and with support from Al Naqoor International Investment Group.
Abou Zekry stated that the event comes in appreciation of the role of Saudi media in supporting Egypt, reflecting the strong brotherhood between the Egyptian and Saudi people, and recognizing the major efforts of Saudi media in presenting an accurate image of events across the Arab world, especially in Egypt.
The announcement was made during a press conference held at a hotel overlooking the Nile in Cairo, attended by Hassan Al Naqoor, representing Al Naqoor International Investment Group, Mahmoud Abdel Wahab representing the Egyptian Minister of Tourism, Dr. Ibrahim Abou Zekry, President of the General Union of Arab Producers, Dr. Mustafa Salameh, Secretary-General of the Union, along with a group of artists and media figures.
In his speech, Hassan Al Naqoor expressed his happiness to be in Egypt, describing it as a country of pride, history, and civilization, and praised the gathering of artists, intellectuals, and media professionals. He also expressed appreciation for the recognition by the General Union of Arab Producers, which is organizing the “Thank You Saudi Arabia” event.
Al Naqoor emphasized that the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Egypt is deeply rooted in history, built on strong ties between peoples, shared culture, language, and religion, and that this relationship will continue into the future.
He added that the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, confirm the continuation of strong Saudi-Egyptian relations at all levels economic, commercial, and political, and will continue to grow. He pointed to recent decisions by King Salman to support Egypt during difficult times, including launching direct tourist flights from Riyadh to Sharm El Sheikh to confirm Egypt’s safety and support its tourism sector after the Russian plane incident.
Al Naqoor pointed out that what makes the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Egypt strong and lasting is that both countries are greater than any attempts to create division or weaken Arab unity. He emphasized that the Saudi leadership and people always stand by Egypt and its people, as the strength of Egypt is part of the strength of the Arab world.
It is worth noting that Al Naqoor Group was established in 1980 in Mecca and has since expanded across Saudi Arabia. It also expanded its investments across the Arab region, including Egypt, Morocco, and Lebanon, and later into Europe, reaching countries such as the UK, Turkey, Spain, and France.
For his part, Dr. Ibrahim Abou Zekry expressed his deep thanks and appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, as well as the government and people of Saudi Arabia, for their noble stance in supporting Egypt during all the difficult times it has faced since the June 30 Revolution.
He added that he named the event the “Loyalty Conference” as a gesture of appreciation from the Arab Producers Union and the Egyptian people toward Saudi Arabia, recognizing its strong support for Egypt. He highlighted that Saudi Arabia, along with other Gulf countries, stood by Egypt politically, economically, and through media support, helping it overcome challenges, including its fight against terrorism and its economic difficulties following the Russian plane incident that significantly affected tourism, especially in Sharm El Sheikh.
Abou Zekry also explained that Arab tourists contribute more to Egypt’s economy than foreign tourists, stating that one Arab tourist can benefit Egypt more than 100 foreign tourists due to higher spending and their intention to support Egypt. He added that the Union is working with the Ministry of Tourism to promote Arab tourism and strengthen relations between Egypt and other Arab countries to attract more visitors.
Mahmoud Abdel Wahab, representing the Egyptian Minister of Tourism, also praised King Salman’s decisions to support Egypt, including directing Saudi flights to operate directly from Riyadh to Sharm El Sheikh to support Egypt during difficult times after the plane incident. He confirmed that these decisions reflect Saudi Arabia’s strong support for Egypt at all levels.
He added that Russian and British tourism represented around 60% of tourism in Sharm El Sheikh, and after the suspension of flights from both countries following the incident, tourism dropped by about 50%. Since Arab tourism represents only 16%, efforts are being made to increase it to help compensate for these losses, given the importance of Arab countries to Egypt’s economy.
On the sidelines of the conference, Dr. Ibrahim Abou Zekry honored a number of artists and media professionals who stood out in covering the Union’s activities during the year, including actress Dalia El Beheiry, actor Khaled Sarhan, producer Mostafa Abu Hagar, writer Amani Dargham, director Ahmed Nour, artist and director Mohsen Al Ali, and media personality Dina Abdullah.