EGYPT TO DECIDE BETWEEN MALAYSIA AND SINGAPORE FOR TOURISM PROMOTION OFFICE

By Manik Mehta

SINGAPORE, Oct 19 (Bernama) -- Egypt is mulling establishing a full-fledged
tourism promotion office either in Malaysia or Singapore.

Both venues, according to the Egyptian delegation currently in Singapore to
participate in the ITB Asia 2010, Asia's biggest tourism event, are in the race
for selection, and "it's turning out to be a close contest" between the two.

In an interview with Bernama, Hisham Zaazou, Egypt's first assistant minister
for tourism, said after wooing tourists from India and China, where Egypt has
tourism offices, it was now concentrating on the Asean region, with Malaysia and
Singapore being important sources of tourism traffic.

"We have 17 tourism offices worldwide, including one each in India and China."

He said Egypt, which had traditionally relied on Europe and North
America as the main sources of its western tourism traffic, was now turning to the
growth markets of Asia which were experiencing strong economic growth and
prosperity.

"Our major markets lie in Europe. Russia is a big market for us. We have some
two million tourists from Russia visiting Egypt each year followed by Britain,
Germany and Italy, each providing us with a million tourists.

"But we believe the Asean region is among the most dynamic tourism markets for
Egypt, with the economic boom in Asia expected to continue in the coming years,"
he said.

Prior to the Singapore presentation on Monday night here, an Egyptian tourism
ministry delegation visited Kuala Lumpur where it staged a roadshow involving
the participation of over 75 companies from Malaysia's tourism and travel
sector.

Zaazou described the Kuala Lumpur roadshow as a "phenomenal meeting with our
Malaysian friends".

"We will be coming with more roadshows to the Asean region, including Malaysia.
Apart from historical and cultural attractions, Egypt should be of particular
interest to tourists from Malaysia and Singapore who love golf," he said.

While there are some security concerns over the Middle East in some western
countries, particularly in the United States, Zaazou said Egypt was a "perfectly
safe destination".
-- BERNAMA