CAIRO — Pope Francis has confirmed that Egypt will be included as an official Roman Catholic Church pilgrimage destination next year, sparking hope that the country's tourism industry can be revived. The first pilgrims should begin arriving in Egypt in May, according to Tourism Minister Yahya Rashed.

The pope endorsed the designation Oct. 4 during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism then announced Oct. 5 that the path of the Holy Family (Jesus, Mary and Joseph) in Egypt more than 2,000 years ago will be part of the Vatican pilgrimage program for 2018.

Rashed said it is a tourism achievement for Egypt to hold a place in Catholic religious rituals. He called on Christians around the world to follow in the Holy Family's footsteps as it fled King Herod in Bethlehem to Egypt.

Rashed headed an Egyptian delegation to the Vatican Oct. 4 that included parliament members, businessmen, investors, tourism officials and journalists. The trip followed up on the pope's historic visit to Egypt in April.