Egypt has launched a new page on the world's largest travel website, TripAdvisor, with content including pictures and articles provided by the country's official tourism authority, an official told Ahram Online on Thursday.

The new page on the US-based website targets five countries: the UK, Italy, Denmark, Sweden and Germany, according to Hisham El-Demeiry, the head of the Egyptian Tourism Authority (ETA).

Egypt had previously only sponsored ads and banners on TripAdvisor linked to the country's official travel website. Now, however, the tourism body itself can create content for destinations it seeks to promote.

The page, launched in June, will target another three markets by September: Ukraine, India and the US, El-Demeiry said.

The campaign "is aimed at boosting promotional content for all tourist spots in Egypt on the site... as well as encouraging users to visit Egypt's official tourism website."

The new page also has a "retargeting" feature, which prompts users interested in competitor tourist markets in the Middle East to check content on Egypt, said Ahmed Madkour, a senior digital executive at Mindshare, ETA's media agency. 

"Customers looking up Turkey, Morocco, and Jordan, for example, will be redirected to check Egypt content," Madkour said.

Other customised features on Egypt will be introduced for the first time later this year, Madkour added.

"TripAdvisor is no longer an advertising platform, but rather a partnership to boost tourist traffic."