Israel, Turkey and Greece are now receiving up to 25 percent of the U.S. tourism that used to go to Egypt, said Ronan Baldi, tourism expert and owner of Yalla Tours. Yalla Tours has been operating in the Egyptian tourism market since 1993. Travel bookings to visit Egypt have decreased by 70 percent compared to the same period last year due to Egypt's January 25 Revolution. During a press briefing attended by head of the International Tourism Sector, Samy Mahmoud, and the member responsible for the media sector, Mustafa Abdel Khaliq, Baldi said he invited 25 of the most important U.S. tour operators who specialize in marketing Egypt in America for a field trip to Egypt. The trip is organized in order for tour operators to see for themselves the reality of the situation in Egypt and in order to train them on how to market Egypt abroad. Baldi said the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism should focus on this particular visit. He denied the suggestion that Osama bin Laden's death will affect tourist traffic to Egypt. In fact, Baldi claimed he received 40 bookings from 40 small tour operators and expects the coming months will see an increasing number of tourists. Baldi said 361,000 U.S. tourists visited Egypt in 2010. However, he said the figure is not accurate because some Egyptians and Arabs holding American passports and are considered American tourists. Baldi said he as a quick plan to attract American and international tourists to Egypt. He said that plan demands the Egyptian authorities remain calm and bring out Egypt's best qualities, especially since Americans are very careful to research a country prior visiting. He stressed the role of the Ministry of Tourism in reviving tourism. He suggested paying attention to educational and cultural tours that interest American tourists. He also recommended using prominent international celebrities such as Egyptian actor Omar al-Sherif to promote Egypt. Baldi said now is the best time to innovate and come up with new ways to attract tourists. He stressed that American tourists need to visit Egypt, particularly Cairo, so they can see for themselves that Egypt will remain a country of security and safety. Baldi said it is significant to include a tour group that consists of dozens of tourists, adding that there will be an increase in tourism traffic between the Egypt and America soon. He said Egypt is a dream destination for almost every American and they love being photographed next to the pyramids. Americans are happy for the success of the January 25 Revolution, which allows Egyptian-American relations more prosperity, especially from a cultural aspect. He said Egypt is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Baldi said using simple banking steps and showing a calm reflection through Egyptian media to show the advantages of visiting Egypt will revive tourism quickly. Baldi says it is important for tourism sector workers to advertise Egypt during this period through a different perspective and to provide new ideas for better marketing. He said the cooperation between the private sector and the government is at its best and the combination of expertise and money is exactly what Egypt needs. There are many tourists visiting Egypt now, and Baldi organized a trip for some of the world's best photographers who wanted to capture the post-revolutionary Egypt. There was also a group of chefs who came to learn about Egyptian cuisine and within the upcoming two weeks, two bishops from Hawaii will visit churches around Egypt and learn the truth about sectarian violence in Egypt.
