Egypt's tourism ministry said on Saturday it will launch a campaign with CNN to promote tourism to the country around the world. The ministry said in a statement that an advertisement will be aired in Europe, the Middle East and Africa during the channel's weather forecast, for which Egypt will be the main sponsor. The campaign also includes promotions on the channel's websites. Representatives from CNN's advertising company are also set to visit Egypt soon to shoot advertisements to be aired on CNN's various channels. "We consider the partnership with CNN a strong step on our path towards [promoting tourism in] international markets, especially through reputable media institutions like CNN. This partnership helps us fulfil part of an international promotion strategy through a strong outlet for the target audience," Egyptian tourism minister Yehia Rashed said. The American network's advertising company chief Rany Raad hailed the partnership, especially at a time where Egypt is growing as a unique tourist destination. Global marketing and advertising agency J. Walter Thompson (JWT), which is behind the agreement, said the main aim behind the campaign is to attract tourists to enjoy Egypt's consistently moderate weather. "The advertisement will be a key factor in attracting foreign tourists during the winter season," the company said, according to the Egyptian tourism ministry. In 2015, JWT was contracted to promote Egyptian tourism through a media campaign with an overall budget of $66 million divided over three years. The company's strategy involves media campaigns in 27 different markets. Egypt has been seeking to revive its tourism industry, which has been suffering since a Russian passenger jet crashed in Sinai in October 2015, killing all 224 people on board, most of them holidaymakers. Since the deadly incident, Russia, which was the number-one source of tourists visiting Egypt, has suspended flights to the country pending the implementation of tighter security measures at all Egyptian airports. Several other countries, including Germany and Belgium, have lifted flight bans, which were imposed shortly after the crash, on travelling to the Sinai resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh. In September, an Egyptian government official told Reuters that the country's tourism revenues rose by 170 percent in the first seven months of 2017, reaching $3.5 billion. The number of tourists visiting Egypt rose by 54 percent in the same seven-month period on an annual basis to reach 4.3 million. That number is still well below the 14.7 million who visited Egypt in 2010, the year prior to the popular uprising that overthrew President Hosni Mubarak.
