CAIRO: The Ministry of Tourism presented this week a new advertising campaign to lure tourists to Egypt. The previous campaign, "The Gift of the Sun, launched in 2006 to mixed reviews. Some criticized the fact that the campaign did not emphasize Egypt's universally known antiquities, focusing instead on the appeal of its climate and the warmth of its people. The new campaign, announced Monday, has the slogan "Egypt: where it all begins, and highlights the Pyramids, Sphinx and other uniquely Egyptian attractions while not failing to mention Egypt's "aquatic paradise. Tourism to Egypt was down 3.5 percent at the end of November, according to Omayma El-Husseini, Ministry of Tourism spokesperson. However, she described tourism figures as having, "picked up beautifully in recent months. "Last January tourism was down 13 percent, she explained, "Still by August it was down 9 percent. By September it was less than 5 percent. We've seen the numbers getting better and better. Total tourists to visit Egypt as of November 2009 reached almost 11.5 million, with expectations that the number for the year will reach 12.5 to 12.8 million. November alone saw 1.23 million visitors, according to Reuters' quote of El-Husseini. There will be challenges in 2010, regardless of any advertising campaign; she told Daily News Egypt, "It will likely take three to five years for the price cycle to return to normal. However, El-Husseini clarified that "hotels are not lowering their prices. They are offering special packages to attract clients, but prices are the same. "We do not regulate this, she added, but pointed out that the Ministry of Tourism matches any revenue spent by tour operators for advertising. This seems reflected in the new campaign, with high quality graphics and animation on the Ministry of Tourism's website, www.egypt.travel. The latest campaign appears an attempt to balance Egypt's cultural offerings with its opportunities for sunbathing. In the word "Egypt, the "key of life is used for the letter "T. The slogan "Where it all begins seems another reference to Egypt's status as a "cradle of civilization (as it is called on the website). However, the healthier tourism figures seen at the end of 2009 are driven primarily by those seeking sun and sand at the Red Sea resorts. Visitors from Germany, Italy and Russia comprised the latest upswing, and although many do take time to tour Egypt's antiquities, many come simply for the beach. One trend observed globally is that if people choose to travel, they often decide to save money by taking shorter trips. On a tight schedule, many tourists may feel they do not have time to spare on sites like Luxor, visiting only the Pyramids and then heading for the beach. This seems especially true of Russian tourists, one of Egypt's most promising tourist markets. Egypt expects to host more Russian tourists, as economic conditions in Russia allow more people to travel abroad. Outbound Russian tourist numbers were up 25 percent from 2005 to 2007. Although the economic crisis has slowed the tide, the relative strength of the Russian economy as the crisis recedes caused the World Tourism Organization to predict that by 2020 Russia will be the 10th most important country worldwide for sending tourists abroad. Recent agreements between Egypt and Russia to encourage Russian tourism means that Egypt, currently ranked third among Russians' preferred travel destinations, may soon climb to number one. However, one challenge pointed out by El-Husseini has little to do with economic conditions. "Swine flu hit us hard this year, she admitted. "People got really paranoid about this. Arab tourists especially were concerned about H1N1. She said that the Ministry of Tourism has minimal ability to affect people's perceptions about health concerns, that any such measures carried out are the responsibility of the Ministry of Health. Asking airline passengers to fill out a card about their health status upon entering the country, for example. Such measures may increase more anxiety than they relieve, especially as once the cards are handed in, no apparent effort is made to contain or check passengers who may be exhibiting flu-like symptoms. Egypt's highly publicized decision to kill the country's population of pigs, despite evidence that the animals do not carry the disease, also did little to allay fears. Still, the Minister of Tourism, Zoheir Garranah predicted "full recovery by the third quarter of 2010, in a statement. El-Husseini listed such efforts as sending invitations to travel writers from all over the world as examples of the measures the ministry is taking to attract attention to Egypt as a prime tourist destination for culture buffs and sunbathers alike.
