Egypt uses webcams to boost its image
Egypt is to use webcams and mobile apps to show tourists what they’re missing as it tries to repair its image.
Tourism officials said the footage would give live coverage of the beaches in tourist resorts like Sharm El Sheikh.
Omayma Elhusseini, director of the Egyptian State Tourist Office in London said: "We want to let people know what other people are enjoying and to encourage the tourists to keep on coming."
She added that with 83% of Brits heading to the Red Sea resorts, tourism is still up 0.7% on last year despite the troubles.
However tourism to areas such as Luxor and Aswan will be hit more severely from now to May when it’s most popular with British tourists.
She is hopeful that the FO advisory will be relaxed ‘as soon as possible’ with the minister of tourism, Hisham Zaazou meeting the Foreign Office after World Travel Market.
Many tour operators had to cancel tours to the destination after the Foreign Office advised against all but essential travel to Egypt, apart from the Red Sea resorts, in July.
It followed political demonstrations and riots in many of the main cities.
During a press conference at World Travel Market, Egypt’s minister of tourism, Hisham Zaazou, said: "We’re embracing real-time online communications by utilising the latest visual technologies such as webcams and mobile apps to show exactly what is happening on the ground in Egypt now.
"More than 18 countries have lifted the travel advisory on Luxor and Aswan."
"As soon as the FCO revises its travel advice for the UK, we will work tirelessly with our valued media, travel agent and tour operator partners to communicate that the whole of Egypt is open," he continued.
The Foreign Office said its advice is kept under constant supervision and would change when ‘it’s appropriate’.
It added that it is based on the situation at the time and on information from various sources.
In 2014, the Egyptian Tourist Authority (ETA) will be undertaking a vigorous programme of education to ensure that the UK travel industry is kept up to date on all the latest tourism developments in Egypt.
Diane
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