THE EGYPTIAN Tourist Authority will shortly unveil an aggressive tourism campaign to attract more Malaysian travellers to the country.
The campaign in Malaysia will involve road shows, advertisements in various print and digital media, art and cultural performances, and partnerships with the local travel trade.
Egypt’s Deputy Tourism Minister, Samy Mahmoud, said: “We see a huge potential in Malaysia’s (outbound) market, and as such, we are looking at ways to strategically attract more Malaysians to visit Egypt.”
Malaysia ranked seventh among Egypt’s Asian source markets in 2010, contributing 34,000 visitors – behind Japan, India, China, South Korea, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Meanwhile, Mahmoud downplayed the ongoing incidents of street violence in downtown Cairo after the Arab Spring, and affirmed that the country’s security was generally good.
“Egypt is safe, especially for Malaysians,” he insisted. “We are now a new Egypt, especially after the revolution. The Egyptians are now friendlier, more open-minded and more honoured to welcome tourists.”
In 2010, Egypt received 14.7 million visitors, generating US$12.5 billion in tourism receipts. Due to the political upheaval, only 9.8 million tourists visited the country last year, while revenue dropped to US$8.8 billion.
