To promote Egypt's cruise shipping tourism, SCA-Suez Canal Authority halved transit fees for cruise vessels that dock for minimum 48 hours in at least 2 Egyptian ports.
SCA's Director Osama Rabie revealed during a meeting with a delegation from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on November 11 that the SCA was "offering incentives to encourage cruise ships to dock at Egyptian ports on the Red Sea and the Mediterranean."
“The SCA is seeking to add several tourist attractions to the Egyptian tourism map, namely the Suez Canal International Museum, scheduled to open next year, Saint Agatha’s Church and the Dome Building in Port Said."
SCA also intends to establish murals on both sides of the Suez Canal illustrating its historical stages, which would add aesthetic value to sailing through it.
The Suez Canal is considered the fastest sea corridor for shipping trade between Europe and Asia, as well as one of Egypt's major sources of foreign currency. The canal's revenues slightly decreased during the 2019-2020 fiscal year - at USD 5,72 billion, in comparison with USD 5,75 B in FY-2018-2019. The decrease was a result of the pandemic, which caused a slowdown in global trade movement by nearly 20% in the 2020-Q2.