السفينة السياحية العملاقة Crystal Serenity تبحر في قناة السويس

Added: 2026-05-10

[00:00:02][music] [music] [music] [music] >> Today we are transiting the Suez Canal and we have done so many, many times.

[00:00:31]Personally, my first time through here was all the way back in 1982.

[00:00:36]And it's an incredible evolution and change in those many years since my first transit. [music] The canal, of course, has been expanded greatly being an important lifeline between Asia and Europe and the United States, but also the surrounding areas here with the agricultural being developed, the water being taken from the Nile, putting over on the Sinai side. Um, this is truly an amazing location and something to see.

[00:01:03]From a tourist perspective, it is uh something everybody should come and see at least once, maybe more.

[00:01:09]Uh, we just had uh a lot of our crew going to Cairo and uh they all got to go and see the pyramids and they came back totally excited about that.

[00:01:18]Obviously, any transit through the Suez Canal has to be done one way and one way only, a safe way. And it's interesting to see also and and and rewarding to see that the Suez Canal authorities have implemented many new innovations when it comes to safe transit for all vessels.

[00:01:37]We all know that this uh lifeline needs to be kept open at all cost >> [music] >> and uh we all have the same goal to make sure what everything we do is done as safe [music] as possible.

[00:01:50]My vessel, the Crystal Serenity, is a large cruise vessel, 250 m long, very maneuverable with azipod propulsion and and planetary chuster capacity. [music] We travel all over the world and currently we have been on the world [music] cruise. Now we are just repositioning back to the Mediterranean where we're going to start our Mediterranean season. There are many many larger ships going through the Suez Canal, but for us we feel we are just the right size. I also would like to welcome you and convey the greetings of His Excellency Admiral Osama Rabieha. Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, and I have a gift of appreciation and gratitude from His Excellency. It's the key of the Suez Canal. Okay.

[00:02:33]And it's our pleasure that you're transiting the Suez Canal actually.

[00:02:42]Good morning to everybody. I am Geoffrey J. D. Lefebvre. I'm the chairman of Abercrombie & Kent Travel Group, >> [music] >> which includes Abercrombie & Kent operating here in Egypt since many many years on the River Nile and in general around the country, and of Crystal Cruises, which operates vessels, cruise ships. We are on board [music] of one of them. I'm also the chairman of WTTC, which is the World Travel >> [music] >> and Tourism Council.

[00:03:07]And we're hosting a summit here in on the Suez Canal today and tomorrow with a very relevant presence from the Egyptian government [music] to testimony of two things. First of all, the importance of Egypt in the world travel [music] landscape, and secondly, the resilience of travel and tourism in the world economy.

[00:03:25]I was hosted yesterday morning. I had the honor of being hosted yesterday morning by President Sisi.

[00:03:31]We have on board the presidential envoy of the American government, Nick Adams, who is the first ever appointed minister of tourism for the United States of America. It's a new thing, and the first thing he did was to join us here on this cruise just a month after his appointment. And this is to make this event a starting moment for the more opening of travel tourism around the world. I'm admiring the Suez Canal. I've always wished to see it. And when I had opportunity to organizing [music] the summit here, which was donated to WTC by my family foundation, I immediately wanted [music] to do it and I came here and it's something which is in the dream of everybody to see this fundamental both essential communication opportunity for the world and brilliance of human engineering.

[00:04:31]So, it's it's really a [music] great pleasure to be here and to have the summit here.

[00:04:37]We're having three former heads of state, the president of Argentina, the president of Mexico and the prime minister of Italy alongside [music] the minister of tourism of Egypt and the minister of planning of Egypt. We have also the fantastic Dr. Zahi, who is one of the most renowned archaeologists of the world and many other celebrities and >> [music] >> in the the cultural world and in the travel travel tourism sector. So, it's a great great opportunity to exchange views and make plans for the future. I've been coming to Egypt since many many [music] years.

[00:05:15]Only this year I've been here. This is my third time. At the beginning one year ago, halfway and now.

[00:05:22]But also in the past and and whenever I come here, I see a lot of progress.

[00:05:26]President Sisi when he took over, he made a number of promises.

[00:05:30]And what I can see he's delivered all of them. The incredible improvement in the infrastructure, which makes [music] the access to Egypt so much easier is great. The confidence of people to invest in this country is growing.

[00:05:45][music] You are a unique feature of stability in this region. [music] This comes from a strong and visionary leadership that you have. I may say you're blessed from this point of view with the beauty you have of everything because we've just been seeing the premiere of hidden Egypt.

[00:06:01]There's not only the pyramids, there's only only the gem, the great museum.

[00:06:06]There's not only what you can see [music] more easily and all the time, but there's so much to be discovered in the cultural and historical Egypt. But apart from that, you have the beautiful coast of Red Sea and now what is developing is the Mediterranean with the warm weather and excellence in food [music] and hospitality that you have. It's really an incredible opportunity for growth for your country.

[00:06:30]from the Suez Canal and the true leader for the tourism and travel council. This is the steering wheel of the Suez Canal.

[00:06:37]That might be a resemblance of the leadership and wisdom that you will present to the whole world.

[00:06:42]Thank you so much.