On 13-15 July 2025, H.E. Mr. Thanawat Sirikul, Ambassador to Egypt, together with officials from the Royal Thai Embassy in Cairo, visited South Sinai Governorate. During the visit, the Ambassador paid a courtesy call and met with Major General Dr. Khaled Mubarak, Governor of South Sinai on 13 July 2025. He commended the Governor for managing and developing Sharm El Sheikh into a world-class tourist and diving destination, with over 200 hotels and the capacity to accommodate up to 2.5 million tourists per year. It is also a venue for important international conferences, such as COP27 and the World Youth Forum. In addition, both sides discussed ways to promote cooperation, especially in tourism, economy, expanding of the supply chain for food security, and Thai cultural event, which will help promote people-to-people connectivity between the two countries. The Governor agreed that there are many areas in which both sides can cooperate. This includes establishing a Sister City Agreement between South Sinai and a popular tourist province in Thailand. On this occasion, the Ambassador also commended Egypt’s role as a mediator for the conflict in the region and expressed his gratitude for helping the Thai hostages.

 

Later in the evening, the Ambassador met with representatives of the Thai community working in Sharm El Sheikh, who were spa massage therapists and chefs in leading hotels at the Sala Thai restaurant. He asked about their living conditions and obstacles in their work. Most Thais were satisfied with their jobs and salaries. He also learned that some hotels in Sharm El Sheikh were looking to hire more Thais to work in spas due to their skilled and good personalities. The Ambassador emphasized to Thais the importance of being a representative of Thailand and promoting good image in the eyes of Egyptians and foreign tourists. In addition, he suggested the establishment of Thai Association in South Sinai to help protect and defend the interests of Thai community and discussed about the possibility to organize Thai cultural events in South Sinai.

 

On 14 July 2025, the Ambassador and the Embassy’s officials visited St. Catherine Monastery, the world's oldest monastery still in use today. It is located in the Sinai Mountain and was built in the 5th century. Inside the monastery, there is a museum and a library that preserves many valuable antiques and ancient books. In addition to being a holy place for Christianity, the monastery is also a symbol of the peaceful coexistence of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. In 2002, UNESCO registered the monastery as a World Heritage Site. During the visit, the Ambassador paid a courtesy call on Father Akakios, Secretary of St. Catherine Monastery, and met with representatives from the St. Catherine City Council. They also discussed about the Mega Project in the vicinity of the monastery, which is a large hotel construction project with more than 1,000 rooms. This project is part of the “Great Transfiguration” project that the Egyptian government under President Al Sisi intends to present as a gift to the world and all religions. Construction began in 2022, with a budget of over 220 million US dollars, covering the construction of a road connecting St. Catherine with resort towns along the Red Sea, numerous hotels and a new residencial area (Zaitouna), a convention center and shopping malls, as well as various infrastructure to accommodate tourists visiting the holy sites and ecotourism. The Egyptian government is trying to finish the construction by the end of this year.

 

On 15 July 2025, the Ambassador and the Embassy’s officials visited the Taba border crossing, located on the Egyptian-Israeli border, overlooking the territories of Jordan and Saudi Arabia on the opposite side of the Gulf of Aqaba. They were welcomed by officials from the National Security Agency in Taba. The Taba border crossing is the only crossing point between Egypt and Israel. It is under the supervision of the General Authority for Land and Dry Ports (Egyptian side). Israelis and expatriates living in Israel often use the crossing to visit the resort towns in South Sinai. There are approximately 3,000-4,000 people using the crossing each day. During the 12-Day War, some countries also used the crossing to evacuate their citizens from Israel.