Aqaba, April 25 (Petra) – Aqaba Chamber of Commerce and Egypt's Chamber Of Commerce - Red Sea on Saturday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance economic and tourism cooperation and explore the prospect of launching a direct shipping line connecting Aqaba with Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh.

The MoU was inked during a visit by a delegation of the Aqaba chamber to Hurghada, where the Jordanian side was represented by the chamber's vice president Ahmed Kiswani and the Egyptian side was headed by Red Sea Chamber of Commerce President Khaled Abdel-Jalil.

Kiswani called it a key step towards strengthening economic cooperation and improving the efficiency of trade exchange, adding that the discussion focused on enhancing food supply chains and launching a direct passenger shipping line between Aqaba, Hurghada, and Sharm El Sheikh, which would support tourism and investment, and bolster the maritime transport sector and related logistics services.

The talks also tackled cooperation in specialized tourism, particularly through strengthening partnerships between diving centers in Aqaba and their counterparts in the Red Sea, exchanging expertise, and marketing a joint tourism product that reflects the environmental diversity and coral reefs of both regions.

The signing, Kiswani pointed out, enhances Aqaba's position as an economic and tourism hub in the Red Sea region and opens new horizons for investment in logistics, food industries, and integrated tourism.

The Aqaba Chamber of Commerce team also discussed with Arab Bridge Maritime Company Director Adnan Abadleh ways to boost maritime transport and facilitate trade and travel via the Aqaba-Nuweiba sea route.

//Petra//SS