Official Historical Visits and Their Role in Tourism Promotion between Egypt and Thailand: The Visit of King Rama V to Egypt during the Reign of Khedive Abbas Hilmi II (6–15 November 1897) as a Case Study

This research aims to examine the role of official historical visits in promoting tourism by analyzing the visit of King Rama V (Chulalongkorn), King of Siam (modern-day Thailand), to Egypt from 6 to 15 November 1897, during the reign of Khedive Abbas Hilmi II. This visit is taken as an applied model that reflects the importance of this type of visit in strengthening international relations, enhancing cultural exchange, and supporting tourism activities.The study sheds light on the historical background of the Kingdom of Siam, the personality and reforms of King Rama V, as well as the concept of historical tourism and its various forms. It demonstrates how historical tourism contributes to preserving identity and deepening connections between peoples.The research findings show that the visit carried significant political, cultural, and diplomatic dimensions. It contributed to establishing early relations between Egypt and Siam and offered an opportunity to introduce Egypt’s royal and civilizational heritage by providing a comprehensive account of the king’s tour to explore Egyptian landmarks from Cairo and Alexandria to Upper Egypt. The study concludes that this visit represents a model for employing “cultural diplomacy” to support the tourism sector. The results indicate that official historical visits can enhance a country’s positive image and open new prospects for tourism exchange between the two nations. However, the study identifies several obstacles hindering the development of this type of tourism, most notably weak digital promotion, inadequate infrastructure, and the limited number of direct flights between the two countries. Considering this, the study proposes a set of strategies for promoting tourism between Egypt and Thailand. These include developing digital tourism content inspired by the royal visit, designing tourism programs and packages based on the historical travel route, engaging influencers and social media platforms, improving archaeological site infrastructure, and enhancing the services provided to Thai tourists.The study concludes that drawing inspiration from this historical model and employing it in tourism development offers an opportunity to strengthen Egypt’s position on the global tourism map and to increase the flow of tourists from the Thai market, which is considered one of the promising Asian markets.