Culture Minister Helmy el Namnam said Monday that Luxor Temple would host the opening ceremony of the 2016 Sino-Egyptian Culture Year which marks the 60th anniversary of joint diplomatic relations.

In statements during an inspection tour to the temple, the minister added that the choice aimed to support the Egyptian tourism.

He hailed efforts made by the Egyptian and Chinese sides to launch the event targeting to boost bilateral relations in various fields.

Namnam arrived in Luxor earlier in the day to follow up the ceremony preparations, along with his Chinese counterpart Cai Wu, who is scheduled to arrive in Luxor Tuesday.

Marking 2016 as a cultural year was the fruit of agreement between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during their meeting in Beijing in December 2014.

The Chinese president will attend the ceremony.