Egypt's ministries of tourism and civil aviation launched a new initiative to support domestic tourism titled "We will see Egypt." The Tourism Promotion Authority, Egypt-Air, the Egyptian National Bank, and telecommunications provider Mobinil will participate in the initiative. The Tourism Minister, Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour, said in a conference that it is Egyptians' responsibility to restore Egyptian tourism. He said tourism brings around $13 billion in revenue. He criticized the Salafi's demonstration which called for prohibiting tourism. In a response to a question about the Salafi protests, Abdel Nour called on Egyptians to express their opinions courageously and not fear loud voices. The minister demanded the media be accurate in what it publishes about Egyptian security to reassure tourists who plan to visit the country. He added that opening the door for Iranian tourists to visit Egypt is under discussion. Minister of Civil Aviation Ibrahim Manna said the losses of Egypt Air, the national airline, reached one billion dollars after Egypt's January 25 Revolution. He said that his ministry initiated a package of measures to avoid repercussions of the expected drop in aviation. The attendees signaled that the initiative does not target all Egyptians because of its high costs. Amr Mahmoud, the commercial manager of the airline, confirmed that 55 hotels and 18 travel agents will participate in the initiative which targets Luxor, Aswan, Hurghada, and Sharm el-Shiekh. He added that the cost includes airline tickets.
