The Egyptian minister of tourism said the opening of the new 21-mile stretch of new channels and 37 waterways at the Suez Canal should lead to development in the area, which he hopes will attract tourists.

Two new domestic routes launched by Egyptair Express are also expected to encourage more visitors.

The airline recently launched three weekly flights from Sharm El Sheikh to Hurghada; two weekly flights will operate from Cairo to Marsa Matrouh.

The Egyptian Tourism Authority (ETA) is running a competition that will see two operators or agents selected quarterly to win a fam trip to Egypt. Anyone completing the country’s online training course will be entered in the competition.

An ETA spokesperson said: “The diversity of Egypt’s tourism product is one of a kind, from unmatched historical sites, beautiful beaches along the Red Sea Riviera and the Mediterranean coast, to state-of-the-art resorts providing top-quality services in magnificent locations – all less than five hours from the UK.”