HURT by weeks of unrest, an 80 per cent drop in arrivals and some US$1.5 million lost in tourism revenue, Egypt now wants to beef up its marketing budget to support tour operators, travel agents and airlines, as well as harness the power of media to bring back travellers.
Adel El Masry, director, Egyptian Tourism Office, India, told TTG Asia e-Daily that he was seeking to double his annual budget for joint campaigns with travel agents and tour operators in South and South-east Asian markets including India – Egypt’s biggest and fastest-growing market out of Asia – as well as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.
The NTO had already been subsidising half of the costs for trade promotions specific to Egypt, but could fund only 20 to 35 travel agents and tour operators a year with its current budget of US$300,000, said El Masry.
Support for airlines will be increased through initiatives such as sponsoring tickets as lucky draw prizes, added El Masry, although there is no budget specifically allocated to carriers.
The director is also looking to double his media budget from its current US$800,000 per annum, to be used for advertising across various channels and fam trips.
When asked how confident he was that the new government would approve these measures, El Masry said: “They were the ones who asked us to try and promote Egypt again quickly. I think they will make a decision within the next few months.”
– Full story in TTG Asia, March 11
