Egyptian Tourist Authority appoints Rooster PR

London-based PR & digital communications agency briefed to communicate the reality of the tourism situation in Egypt.

Following a competitive pitch, the Egyptian Tourist Authority (ETA) has selected Rooster PR for a 12 month contract to promote tourism to the country from the UK & Ireland.

Rooster PR will raise awareness of Egypt and encourage travellers to return to the country in line with the stated travel advice from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO). Currently, the FCO has declared Egypt's popular Red Sea region to be suitable for travel and is continuing to evaluate other areas of the country.

The incoming agency's first priority will be to organise a press conference for the Minister of Tourism at the annual World Travel Market (WTM) from 4th-7th November 2013. Scheduled for 2.30pm on Monday 4th, the press conference will see Egypt's Minister of Tourism, Hisham Zazou, address the media and answer questions on the destination's plans for the next 12 months.

Moving forward, Rooster PR will deliver a strategic mix of tactical trade and consumer PR campaigns to promote the destination's abundance of world-class tourism attractions.  

Omayma El Husseini, Director UK & Ireland, Egyptian Tourist Authority, stated: "We want to effectively communicate that the country's key tourism destinations are safe to visit. We are looking forward to working closely with James and his team at Rooster PR."

Rooster PR's Managing Director, James Brooke, commented: "As the much publicised situation in Egypt continues to improve, there is no better time to begin a proactive communications campaign for the ETA; we look forward to promoting all that is great in Egypt."

The account will be led by Rooster PR's Managing Director, James Brooke and Account Manager, Linda Cerminara.

See more at: http://www.traveldailynews.com/news/article/57204/egyptian-tourist-authority-appoints-rooster#sthash.zusX7Dt9.dpuf

Red Sea back in the program

After the tour operator Thomas Cook takes the Red Sea from the end of September back to his holiday program also THE moves to tourism. Customers of tour operators ITS , dertour , Jahn Reisen , Meier 's world travels , ADAC Reisen and Tjaereborg can travel to the Red Sea again from 30 September book . According to the company's resorts Sharm , Marsa Alam and Hurghada are not affected by the crisis in Egypt. Thomas Cook also the quiet location on the Red Sea , and the positive trend in some other regions of the country was crucial for its decision , the destination to fly again. Cairo , Aswan and Luxor are still not included in the program , reports the Rundschau online . On 20 September will be the leaders of the tour operator tour operator did you get together again to discuss the way forward in Egypt. A spokeswoman for the company pointed out that the local state of emergency has been recently extended for a further two months.

Tourism "getting better every day" despite violence, minister claims

Mohamed Ibrahim,

Egypt's antiquities minister, Mohamed Ibrahim, has reassured foreign tourists looking to arrive in Egypt that they are not at risk amid worrying signs violence could further take hold after another weekend of violence.

Egypt's annual 6 October celebrations, commemorating the 1973 Yom Kippur war with Israel, turned into bloody street clashes which left over 50 dead.

Ibrahim's statements come a day after Interior Ministry spokesperson Hany Abdel Latif announced tourist sites across Egypt would be fitted with surveillance cameras and security to better protect visitors.

"There's a security plan in place in tourist areas that will maintain stability in these areas and there is complete coordination," state-run newspaper Al-Ahram quoted the spokesperson as saying on Tuesday.

"We expected all these problems because we are in a war against terrorism," he added, without elaborating.

Ibrahim meanwhile claimed recent events in Egypt represented an "Egyptian-Egyptian issue" that had not seen foreigners injured.

"Since the 1997 Luxor attack, nothing has happened here," the minister claimed, referring to an Islamist-led terror attack which left over 60 dead, many of them foreigners. "[There has not been] anything in tourist areas, not near the Grand Pyramids, Sakhara, it's outside of these areas that are open to tourists."

"We're [also] doing our best to stop the illegal looting and stealing of antiquities," Ibrahim added, admitting that the looting of Minya's Mallawi Museum in August had been "a disaster for us."

Around 1,000 items were stolen in the heist, the minister said, of which some 600 have been returned or found – many of them damaged.

"Now we have the help of the army to protect our museums," he added, saying this should reassure officials worried about future robberies as well as foreigners looking to visit Egypt.

Several countries imposed travel bans on citizens planning to come to Egypt following the 3 July overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Morsy.

A series of violent street clashes and crackdowns by security forces, including the violent dispersals of two pro-Morsy sit-ins at Rabaa al-Adaweya and Giza's al-Nahda Square, left thousands dead.

However Ibrahim claimed joint efforts by the Antiquities Ministry, Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou and the government had begun to turn the tide, encouraging foreigners to return.

"This is why our minister [Zaazou] went around Europe to assure everyone there that nothing is going to happen to foreigners coming here – especially not in Sharm El-Sheikh, Hurghada, or Luxor and Aswan."

"I think this is why these countries – in Europe especially, like Russia and Germany – now they said it's okay for citizens to come to Egypt."

Ibrahim meanwhile claimed that terror attacks and violence seen in Egypt would come to an end soon. Referring to violent Morsy supporters, Ibrahim said: "They are trying their best, but I think this is the final step for them, the last card to play."

"Excluding the problem of Sinai, you might say it is getting better every day." 

http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/tourism-getting-better-every-day-despite-violence-minister-claims