Visa Launch Campaign to Promote Tourism in Egypt

The Egyptian Tourism Authority has partnered with Visa , a global payments technology company, to launch a promotional campaign on social media to help boost tourism in Egypt. Targeting both domestic and international tourists, the campaign will include an online video competition, "Myeverywhere", for the best fan generated footage of Cairo and Luxor.

The Egyptian Tourism Authority and Visa will promote "Myeverywhere" on Visa 's Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages, inviting fans to enter the competition by uploading their own videos of Cairo and Luxor. Every week for five weeks, one lucky winner will receive a Visa prepaid card worth $400 and a paid trip to one Egypt's favorite destinations.

The new campaign is part of a series of joint promotional activities outlined in a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Tourism and Visa to help boost domestic and inbound tourism. The first initiative, the "Rediscover Egypt" campaign, was launched in May 2014 and involved an online photo competition with the objective of repositioning Egypt as one of few destinations that entertain diverse interests ranging from cultural, to resort and historical attractions. The competition attracted 3,500 photo submissions that generated 43,000 likes, and reached almost 7,500,000 Facebook users and 500,000 Twitter users.

Visa and the Egyptian Tourism Authority aim to enrich online content highlighting Egypt as one of the distinguished tourist destinations around the world."Given the current state of the online ecosystem, the internet can potentially improve the image of the country through user-generated content on social media platforms and online media campaigns. It allows users to upload content on various social media platforms that can be seen by millions of people who can interact with such content," said Tarek Mahfouz, Visa Egypt Country Manager.

"Historically, Visa has been a strong supporter for tourism development in Egypt through multiple programs, and today 'Destination Egypt' needs a collective effort to represent the richness and diversity of the country as a travel and leisure destination. There are no powerful tools to launch such initiative equivalent to social media - a tool that basically empowers travelers to reflect and impacts the minds and hearts of fellow travelers aspiring to visit this rich destination," Tarek Mahfouz added.

Based on a research published by the Boston Consulting Group in 2013, travelers from the UK and Germany accounted for 9% and 8% respectively of tourists to Egypt - two countries where online tourism has become a natural habit. Additionally, in 2011, 57% of travelers from the UK and 51% from Germany purchased their tourism services online. As for Egypt, reservations and sales via the internet increased from 5% to 8%, while just 0.2% of Egypt's retail market is online. This showcases the huge untapped opportunities, for small and medium enterprises, especially in the fields of tourism and handcrafts, to grow online.

Learn More: www.visamiddleeast.com/myeverywhere