Egypt's tourism minister receives Italian media delegation in Cairo
Ahram Online, , Monday 13 May 2019


Egypt’s Tourism Minister Rania Al-Mashat received a media delegation from Italy on Saturday, following a conference organised by the ministry to announce the launch of the second series of a documentary produced by the Italian media group MediaSet on ancient Egypt.

The documentary is made by MediaSet, the largest media group in Italy, in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism.

The meeting included representatives from Italian newspapers Corriere Della Sera, Repubblica, Stampa, Giornale, Libero, Verita, Sole 24, Italia Oggi, Leggo, ANSA and Sorrisi e Canzoni.

The minister referred during the meeting to a structural reform programme launched last November to develop the Egyptian tourism sector, aiming at promoting Egyptian tourism abroad and changing the image of the country.

Al-Mashat said that that the strategy depends on the application of top of the line technologies and the modernisation of tourism promotion to Egypt, depending on the storytelling of place and people and creating a unique touristic experience for the tourist.

The minister also stressed the depth of Egyptian-Italian relations, saying that political stability in Egypt had helped increase the influx of tourists from Italy and other countries.

Al-Mashat said the ministry is cooperating with MediaSet as part of its strategy to diversify promotion mechanisms and open new horizons of promotion through communication with foreign media outlets and cooperation with the largest and most important international television channels.

Al-Mashat said that the acclaimed Italian programme Confine II Oltre Freedom and its presenter Giacobbo Roberto would broadcast the documentary, that discusses the wonders of the ancient Egyptian civilization.

Five million people watched the first series of the documentary, according to MediaSet, which hopes for higher numbers with the second series.

The first series covered the latest discoveries of ancient tombs and monuments.

On the security measures taken by the Egyptian state to increase tourism to the country, Al-Mashat noted that the International Council for Tourism and Travel awarded Egypt the "International Leadership in Tourism" award this year, in recognition of the Egyptian state’s efforts to promote the tourism sector and improve security.

Al-Mashat highlighted the importance of tourism industry to the national economy, pointing out that it represents 20 percent of the country’s GDP and creates many jobs.

The partnership comes as Egypt preps for the hosting of Africa Cup of Nations this summer, and ahead of the inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) in 2020.

Last week, Egypt and CNN announced the start of an expanded partnership on a worldwide extended tourism campaign that will exhibit contemporary Egypt across an innovative mix of TV, digital and social media platforms.

In a press release, CNN said the fresh partnership between Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and CNN International Commercial (CNNIC) will see both sides working collaboratively for the global campaign to enrapture and excite Egypt’s key audiences worldwide.

https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/331530.aspx