Why are Sylvester Stallone, Salma Hayek, Will Smith visiting Egypt?
Egypt’s Tourism Ministry is investing in a “tourism of stars” to try to revive the tourism sector by bringing A-list celebrities to the country.
CAIRO — The Egyptian Tourism Ministry announced March 31 that Hollywood actor Sylvester Stallone would visit Egypt in April with his family. The ministry said that there were ongoing negotiations with international star Salma Hayek to also visit Cairo in April and that the visit would be promoted to attract the greatest possible number of tourists.
In March, Hollywood star Will Smith and his family visited Egypt for two days during which he visited the pyramids with former Antiquities Minister Zahi Hawass and also toured the Egyptian Museum, where he took photos with his family.
The Antiquities Ministry said on its official Facebook page that the visit was aimed at “supporting Egyptian tourism and promoting Egyptian archaeological areas.”
On Feb. 21, global soccer great Lionel Messi made a short visit to Egypt that lasted for a couple of hours in support of Egypt's medical tourism campaign for international hepatitis C patients. Messi visited the pyramids before attending a dinner held to launch the campaign. He then left Cairo in his private jet.
