The 2013 Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking ranked Egypt first in tourism and second in trade in Africa in terms of "search engine appeal", according to a press release issued on Thursday. The Bloom global ranking is the first to measure the search engine appeal of countries in the fields of tourism and investment based on, among other variables, the number of online searches produced every year by potential tourists and investors. A recent Google study revealed that 70% of leisure travellers begin researching their trip online and a report from the Economist Intelligence Unit revealed that more than 58% of investors assess investment risk online, which indicates the significance of search engine appeal, according to the press release. Egypt was part of approximately 3,100,000 online searches by potential tourists in 2013, nearly half of which were about "historical heritage", "local people", and "local culture". With regards to trade, Egypt had nearly 460,000 searches, the most popular containing the words "political stability", "workforce", and "manufacturing industry". In searches related to trade, Egypt came second to Nigeria, followed by South Africa, Morocco, and Ghana. In searches related to tourism, South Africa came second to Egypt, followed by Morocco, Kenya and Mauritius.
