It is the first time for the number of participants in the Egyptian expats forum to exceed 340, mostly from France, the UK, Germany, Australia, Finland, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, , the Egyptian immigration minister said.

The week-long forum – which opened last Saturday – organized tours in key tourist sites in Cairo, Luxor and South Sinai, Nabila Makram said in statements to MENA.

The forum also included visiting hospitals and poor villages.

The forum is meant to activate tourism in Egypt and send a message that Egypt is safe.

Makram thanked youths who chose to spend their Christmas and New Year vacations attending this forum.

She underlined that Egypt is safer than many other cities in various parts of the world.

During the forum, Egyptian expats thanked President Abdel Fatah El Sisi for launching the Ministry of Immigration and Egyptian Expatriates to help them abroad, she said.