(AFP Photo)
The Ministry of Tourism will start streaming online live video of touristic landmarks aimed at potential tourists abroad “to show what’s happening on the ground”, according to the Ministry.
“The international media focuses on scenes that make it seem like all of Egypt is unstable and ablaze,” said Minister of Tourism Hesham Zazour at a press conference in Dubai. “But this is only constrained to one square kilometre in Cairo compared to one million square kilometres of Egypt. The situation in all of Egypt is being reduced to this one area.”
The ministry plans to transmit live feeds from tourist sites in places like Sharm El-Sheikh, Hurghada, Luxor and Aswan with date and time stamps to show what is happening moment-by-moment.
Streaming videos from protests will be launched to show that protests are confined to certain areas in Cairo.
Zaazou said that Egypt is targeting tourism revenues of $25bn and tourist inflows of 30 million by 2020.
In an attempt to attract more tourists to the country, Egypt is also on the lookout for new markets in South East Asia and Latin America, he said.
Egypt is collaborating with Emirates airlines to carry tourists from far-flung destinations such as Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo to Egypt as a joint destination with Dubai.
“Tourists from Latin America and Asia don’t come to the Middle East for one country. With a network like Emirates, we can co-operate with them to bring visitors from long-distance routes to Egypt and merge it with Dubai,” Zaazou said.
“We have the Nile and the original pyramids. Dubai can build a pyramid tomorrow, but people will want to see the original,” he continued.
Zaazou also stated that there will be smoother visa procedures for Moroccan and Indian nationals, and that new flights from Delhi to Cairo will be soon launched.
Tourism has been one of the sectors worst hit by the 25 January Revolution and street protests throughout 2012 and early 2013.
