CAIRO - “Egypt has been diversifying its tourist attractions, utilising the country's resources to lure tourists from various countries during the holy fasting month of Ramadan,” a Government minister said. “Apart from the traditional historic sites, Egypt has launched Fawanees, a month-long festival, to offer discount prices at tourist venues, shopping malls and other facilities,” Tourism Minister Munir Fakhri Abdul Nour told an international press conference in Cairo. Abdul Nour said that that the festival, which started just few days before the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, will boost tourism in ‘secure Egypt' after the January 25 revolution. “A secure Egypt is pinning high hopes that Fawanees Festival will attract more tourists and boost tourism, which is a main source of foreign currency for the country,” he told the conference, which was also attended by Culture Minister Emad Abu Ghazi and Amr el-Ezabi, the chairman of the Tourism Promotion Authority. He said that Egypt has long been a prime destination for Arab tourists, ‘especially from the Gulf states'. In a bid to avert a slump in its lucrative tourist industry, particularly during boom-time August, Abu Ghazi said that the festival aims at luring visitors, with the promise of concerts, a book fair in Giza, folkloric shows and displays by whirling dervishes. "Egypt is trying to attract Arab tourists to the banks of the Nile during the holy month with the ‘Fawanees Ramadan Festival'. Fawanees are colourful lanterns hung across the country and in homes to mark the holy month," Abu Ghazi said. The festival will kick off Cairo with a parade of traditional sailing boats or "felucca" down the Nile. “The campaign, organised by the tourism ministry and backed by heavy advertising, seeks to promote the Egyptian Ramadan experience in the Gulf region,” Abdul Nour said. Turkey, with its majority-Muslim population, is also being targeted by the festival. Several hotels are offering special Ramadan packages, the minister said, adding that advertising spots have been aired on Arab satellite channels under the slogan "Egypt's Spirit in Ramadan". The campaign is of vital importance to Cairo's coffers. Arab tourists, particularly those from the Gulf, make up almost 20 per cent of the 12 million visitors who come to Egypt annually. The peak season for Arab tourists this year coincides with Ramadan, and this will also be the case for several years to come as the holy month, which follows the lunar calendar, goes forward by around 10 days every year. So deeply rooted is the family association with Ramadan that Egypt's glitzy campaign will have a hard time luring many Arab tourists away from mama's cooking during the holy month – even for a jamboree on the Nile.
