The Ministry of Tourism, represented by the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority, has signed a contract with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to become an official regional sponsor of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, as Egypt hosts the tournament from June 21 to July 19, in order to capitalize on major global events to market Egypt.
In this context, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Tourism, explained that part of the ministry's rights under the protocol is the use of players' photos, as well as photos and videos of their visits to tourist and archaeological sites, on the ministry's various promotional platforms, which will have the greatest impact in promoting Egypt given the popularity football stars enjoy among fans of all nationalities and ages around the world. She expressed hope that the participating teams would enjoy the diversity and richness of the tourism products and experiences Egypt offers its guests from all over the world.
She added that Egypt's hosting of this important sporting event on its soil reflects the world's confidence in the state's ability to organize major events, and comes as Egypt holds the presidency of the African Union for 2019. She stressed the importance of supporting international sports tournaments, which attract millions of fans, football lovers and viewers from around the world, and said the ministry uses global sporting events to put Egypt's name in the stadiums, as well as using international football stars for distinctive promotion of Egypt, noting that Egypt was officially the regional sponsor for Africa of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
For his part, Eng. Ahmed Youssef, head of the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority, said that under the protocol the ministry will have the right to place the slogan "Egypt where it all begins" and a link to the authority's website on the website of CAF, the Confederation of African Football, and will also have the right to use the CAF logo on all its advertising media.
He added that it was agreed to place the authority's logo at the press conferences for the matches and at any events accompanying the tournament, in addition to using the advertising boards in the stadiums hosting the matches as advertising platforms for the authority to display promotional materials marketing Egypt for a minute and a half in each half. He pointed to the attention given to sports tourism, one of the important types of tourism that attracts different segments of tourists, especially young people around the world.
Separately, EgyptAir was announced as the official carrier of the Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2019 at the ceremony announcing the tournament's sponsors, attended by Dr. Ashraf Sobhy, Minister of Youth and Sports, and representatives of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
