EGYPT, whose tourism trade has suffered in the hands of political instability in 2010 and again in August this year, is stepping up destination promotions to regain the confidence and interest of travellers and tour operators.
Egypt Tourism Office director for Asia, Adel El Masry, told TTG Asia e-Daily that the situation in the historical destination had stabilised and more budget would be set aside for upcoming promotions. He has, however, declined to reveal the amount of funds allotted to campaigns in Asia.
According to Masry, arrivals to Egypt had improved after the 2010 revolution, although it was a shadow of pre-crisis tourism performance. Prior to the revolution, the country welcomed 14.7 million tourists annually. In 2012, arrivals was around 11 million.
Widely reported riots in August that followed the crackdown on supporters of ousted president Mohammed Morsi had caused arrivals to dip by some 20 per cent.
“Tourism contributes to Egypt’s economy in a big way, providing direct and indirect employment to 12.6 per cent of the workforce and it is the country’s second largest source of foreign revenue.Therefore, it is critical that our tourism offices around the world…address the concerns of prospective travellers to the country,” said Masry.
Commenting on Egypt’s tourism recovery efforts, Masry said: “We are planning media campaigns, familiarisation trips for the media and tour operators, as well as working with tour operators to produce brochures.
“(Our efforts) will start in the next couple of weeks until the end of the year, and we will increase our budget for 2014 too. Our goal is not only to (restore) confidence but also to increase the number and (demographic) profile of travellers from Asia.”
The NTO also aims to broaden its network of tour operator partners through participation in travel trade shows.
Meanwhile, Egypt Tourism has started raising the awareness of attractions beyond the pyramids and Nile cruises, which are traditional favourites. “We are introducing new products such as golf, adventures and religious tours. We are also trying to attract MICE groups,” said Masry, adding that the mass market would be targeted.
India, China, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore have been identified as key Asian source markets, and visa-on-arrival for some Asian nationalities was offered recently.
