Mr. Hesham Zaazou, Minister of Tourism, paid a visit to the United States during the period 4-12 December 2014. The Minister participated in the “2014 Tour Operators Annual Conference,” which took place in Florida. He also visited Washington D.C. where he met with officials from the Smithsonian Institution, the CEO of National Geographic, and a number of private companies working in the tourism sector. The minister encouraged U.S air carriers to continue their direct flights to Egypt.