Antiquities Minister Mamdouh al-Damaty has said that a lack of funding has impacted 60 projects implemented by the ministry to restore and develop tourist areas. He noted that the ministry relies on self-financing without resorting to the state budget.
Damaty said during the tourism development conference in Alexandria yesterday, that the redevelopment of the Roman museum which has been closed since 2010, is a priority for the ministry.
He pointed out that Egypt received a LE10 million grant from Italy to resume work on the museum, which had stopped 10 years ago.
A piece of land has been annexed to the museum to expand it so it may one day be a global attraction, he added.
"I want to assure you about the antiquities in Alexandria. Despite the challenges faced by the ministry and despite not receiving any support or funding from the state budget, they are self-funded through tourist and archaeological attractions tickets," Damaty mentioned.
Soad al-Khouly, Deputy Governor of Alexandria, said that there are projects currently being implemented, most notably beautifying archaeological areas in the governorate, as well as paving and planting trees in these areas.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
