Egypt, Tunisia strive to woo back tourists
GERMANY: Two years after the Arab Spring uprisings, Tunisia
and Egypt are trying to win back holidaymakers in a lifeblood sector for
both countries which are gripped by renewed political crisis.
Leading tourism officials from Tunisia and Egypt were keen to stress
at the ITB Berlin tourism fair, which closes Sunday, that their
destinations are safe and outlined plans for wooing back visitors.
Egyptian Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou admitted his stated goal to
boost the number of tourists back up to almost the pre-Arab Spring level
in 2010 of 14.7 million was ambitious given that it fell to 11.5 million
last year.
"My target at least is to reach 14 million by the end of 2013. Maybe
I have high hopes but I'm working very hard," he told a news conference.
Tunisia is also aiming high and, as in Egypt, tourism plays a key
role in the economy of the country, beset by tensions and uncertainty
sparked by the assassination last month of a leftist politician.
Tourism accounts for a sixth of the workforce in Tunisia which,
according to the Director General of the National Tourism Office Habib
Ammar, aims to have welcomed seven million tourists by end-2013 as in
2010 -- an increase of one million from current levels.
Nearly 12 million people rely directly or indirectly on the tourism
industry in Egypt, where unrest has contributed to a painful economic
crisis since 2011 when a popular uprising ousted long-time President
Hosni Mubarak.
"We are in a political transition. It doesn't mean that we are not
going forward. We are a welcoming nation," Zaazou stressed here.
To promote Egypt as a tourism destination and counter the image
conjured up by international headlines, the minister plans to set up
giant screens in European cities projecting live webcam pictures from
venues such as the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh or the ancient
temple city of Luxor.
AFP |