By Akram Medhat
The Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority, in coordination with the American Chamber of Commerce, hosted a media delegation from the United States, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina, including a number of senior editors-in-chief of daily newspapers and specialized magazines, and a group of bloggers with more than 200,000 followers.
The authority prepared a tour programme for the delegation last week that included visits to the Pyramids and the Sphinx, Aswan and Alexandria, and also organized a special visit to the Grand Egyptian Museum project in Remaya Square.
At the end of the visit programme, Hesham El-Demery, head of the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority, held a meeting with board members of the American Chamber of Commerce and the media delegation to survey the delegation's opinion of the visits they made, to learn their impressions and the image conveyed to them.
El-Demery explained that the tourist's experience during their visit to Egypt, and improving the image of tourist destinations and the country in general, are what led to the improved flow of tourist numbers during 2017, which is a good indicator for the coming period.
For their part, the delegation members affirmed that their image of Egypt had changed greatly, praising the safety and security the country enjoys, especially Aswan, and expressed their delight at visiting the Grand Egyptian Museum, its designs and the antiquities that will be displayed there.
The delegation pointed to the importance of conveying this image to their countries, and offered some views on how to change the country's negative image, such as using social networks, which now play a pivotal and important role in this regard.
Meanwhile, the delegation made sure to share details and photos of the visit daily through social networks and the international television channels they work for, and they sent more than 25 messages on social media during the visit.
