Zaazou: International sports, arts and tourism events are the most prominent and most influential tools... followed by a strong launch of the promotion campaign
Cabinet approves a $5 million increase in the campaign's budget item
125,000 flight bookings were headed to Sharm El-Sheikh, and efforts under way to divert them to Hurghada and Marsa Alam
International media coverage of the Russian plane incident affected world public opinion
By Akram Medhat - Travel Yalla journalist
Hisham Zaazou, Minister of Tourism, unveiled the urgent plan to be implemented in the coming period to restore tourism traffic and overcome the crisis, by focusing on public relations and on managing the crisis from the angle that shapes the recipient's perception, to be followed by the international promotion campaign.
Zaazou added, on the sidelines of the conference launching the "Sharm El-Sheikh in Our Hearts" initiative, that international events held in Egypt, particularly in tourist cities, will be used in the international public relations campaign, especially sports events with large audiences, most notably the international billiards championship currently being held in Hurghada, as well as the international squash championship from December 13 to 18, which receives wide coverage from international media.
Zaazou stressed that foreign media's handling of the Russian plane incident that took place in Sinai on October 31 was the main reason for the negative image of the Egyptian tourist destination as unsafe, especially its airports, which are the main gateway for inbound tourism. The hashtag campaign "Hiya Di Masr" ("This is Egypt") had been scheduled for launch on the same day, but it was postponed after the Russian plane incident that day.
He added that although investigations into such incidents take a long time, the ministry monitored foreign media coverage of the event, which dominated the media scene until November 2. That interest declined until November 4, when British Prime Minister David Cameron's comment that the incident was terrorism and that there was information about a bomb on board that caused the crash raised the level of interest again.
He pointed out that 37% of news reports treated the cause of the incident as an established fact in their coverage, which affected the reputation of security at Egyptian airports, especially at an international tourist airport as important as Sharm El-Sheikh. This entrenched a negative image of the Egyptian tourist destination before the world, and booking cancellations consequently began along with the flight suspension decisions.
He explained the importance of working to establish the image of Egypt as a country of safety and security, not through direct words that have no impact, but backed by international events and messages of reassurance from tourists in the various tourist areas.
He said 125,000 airline seats from the countries that suspended flights to Sharm El-Sheikh had been allocated to the city over two months, and efforts are under way to divert them to Hurghada and Marsa Alam.
He noted that the Cabinet approved increasing the item allocated to the international public relations campaign by an initial $5 million, to carry out an agenda of international sports, arts, tourism and cultural events and to cover and promote them through various tools, most notably social media and advertisements in various media outlets, and by inviting opinion writers, as well as thinking outside the box with unconventional events, in addition to the arts agenda, which includes visits by international stars, the latest of whom were international musician Yanni and Hollywood star Morgan Freeman.
Drawing on International Expertise in Handling the Crisis
On another note, the Minister of Tourism said the UN World Tourism Organization has nominated an expert in tourism crisis management, a former head of Spain's tourism promotion authority, who will come to Egypt on November 28 to meet him and discuss developments and how to deal with them, and to benefit from his expertise from an international perspective in line with the thinking of the target markets.
He continued: "Preparations for the promotion campaign will be made in parallel with the public relations efforts, so that it is launched strongly in the countries that decided to suspend flights after the Russian plane incident, alongside the public relations campaign, once flights resume."
Zaazou expressed his thanks and happiness to the European countries that were not affected by the incident, understand the situation and continue to send tourists to Egypt, most notably Germany, which did not impose travel restrictions but only made remarks seeking reassurance about the security situation at Sharm El-Sheikh Airport, as well as Ukraine, Italy, Poland and Hungary. He referred to an upcoming meeting with the Hungarian ambassador in Cairo on the sidelines of a meeting of European Union ambassadors.
On the other hand, Zaazou said work is currently under way to boost tourism during New Year's Eve celebrations, because international media cover these events, adding that he hopes events will be organized in the Pyramids area.
On domestic tourism, Zaazou explained that the "Sharm El-Sheikh in Our Hearts" initiative has been launched, with prices starting from 270 pounds per person in a triple room at a 3-star hotel for 3 nights half board, with travel by bus, to boost domestic tourism to the city, which is facing a crisis after Russia and Britain suspended flights to it. He pointed to initiatives offered by the banking sector in this regard, with attractive installment programs for tourist trips over long periods.
The Minister of Tourism called on Egyptians to revive the other sectors that depend on the tourism industry by shopping in tourist cities and bazaars, whether in Sharm El-Sheikh or in Luxor and Aswan, and by using public cafeterias in shopping areas and the various entertainment facilities, in a way that brings those cities back to life and gets the wheels of work turning again.
