Egypt invites TV celebrities, artists to bring back tourists
Egypt`s newly-appointed Tourism Minister Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour invited several world-famous actors and TV celebrities to organize shows and entertainment programs on Cairo`s Tahrir Square, Al-Masry Al-Youm news agency reported on Monday.
U.S. media host Oprah Winfrey is among the stars who have been invited over, in a bid to restore Egypt`s reputation as a tourist destination.
Abdel Nour made the announcement during a press conference on Saturday, which was also attended by Hussein Massoud, CEO of EgyptAir Holding Company, and Amr al-Ezabi, director of the Egyptian Tourist Authority.
The minister plans to invite young Facebook users, who will publicize Egypt`s tourist destinations and will invite international visitors to the country. The ministry will also take part in tourism shows and conferences.
Massoud said that EgyptAir plans to increase the number of flights from Italy, the first European country to invite its citizens back to Egypt.
Tourism accounts for more than 11 percent of Egypt`s GDP, 40 percent of the country`s non-commodity exports, and over 19 percent of foreign currency revenues.
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