Over the years, I’ve felt Egypt is experiencing an exciting moment as a design and travel destination. It has always been strong, but what do you think is driving this growing interest?

In Egypt now, things are both moving and not moving. Many individual companies, brands, and projects are receiving funding from international organizations, and those initiatives are moving forward. Last year, the Prime Minister approved a national strategy covering 2025 to 2030. We are still working to secure funding, but this plan will guide the sector over the coming years.

We have a number of action plans related to market access, product development, and the entire supply chain, from production and packaging through to sales. The strategy focuses on three pillars—the “golden pyramid” of Egyptian handicrafts: artisans, designers, and marketers, whether for the local or international market.

The main idea is that we need to focus on each of these three areas and make sure each functions as effectively as possible.

For artisans, that means building capacity, transferring knowledge, providing the right tools, and, of course, ensuring fair wages.

For designers, we are focusing on building a pool of young Egyptian designers who can be trained according to international demands and specifications. We also want to connect them with international consultants who can help build their skills and capacity.

The third pillar is access to markets. This includes trade shows, fairs, trade missions, and connections with consultants who can help create relationships and open up new markets.

We have also asked the government to establish a National Council for Handicrafts. One of the problems is that the different ministries involved in the handicraft sector operate almost like isolated islands. The purpose of this new council would be to act as the maestro—to coordinate all of these efforts and make the sector more sustainable.

There is also a real buzz in Cairo, partly because of the Grand Egyptian Museum, which has created huge interest internationally, particularly in Asian countries. We have recently witnessed more tourists coming from China, Korea, Japan, and Poland.

Previously, the main visitors were Italians, Germans, French, and Americans. Now we are seeing a much broader range of nationalities.

Part of this is because Egypt is developing stronger political relationships with Asian countries, while the Ministry of Tourism is also building new connections and promoting Egypt in these markets.

And, thankfully, Egypt is considered a safe destination when compared with some other destinations in the region, which is also contributing to this renewed interest.