2017 Winners & Shortlists

Brief Explanation

Since 2011, Egypt’s tourism industry has been in freefall. With a number of European travel bans in place, not to mention Western perception of safety issues, one of the country’s largest economy sectors was dramatically shrinking. Media coverage of current events in Egypt have taken a major toll on Egypt’s perception, causing Egyptians to grow tired of the perception gap between how positively they see their own country and how the rest of the world sees it. In order to regain its position as an attractive tourism destination, Egypt had to overcome this. When it came time to promote Egypt as a tourism destination again for the first time in 5 years, we looked within. With an objective to close this perception gap, we looked to inspire Egyptians to travel domestically. From the people of Egypt to the people of the world, This Is Egypt. At this time, #thisisegypt emerged as an initiative by spirited Egyptian youth to push positive content out of their country online. As the tourism world shifts towards digital and peer-to-peer, we adopted this hashtag for the campaign and subsequently catapulted it from pure momentum to an established national platform. With a solid hashtag in foundation and its accompanying campaign, we would create a long-term ecosystem that would eventually rally support from all mediums, beginning at home with Egyptians. To do this, we recruited local social media influencers and released an invitational video online, that would then go on to be supported by local media personalities and was picked up by local TV channels offering free airing in support of the campaign. The initiative enthused people to take matters into their own hands, and showcase the authenticity and fusion of Egypt’s offerings. From there, we gathered and curated all content on the thisisegypt.com microsite, and extended the movement to outdoors and print offering recognition to those who participated in the campaign. With the campaign established at home, we further offered recognition by showcasing user-generated content in iconic locations around the world like Times Square. The results surpassed all expectation – proving the power of people united for a cause. The hashtag went on to become a staple for promoting positive news in the country, tripling in numbers since its adoption by the tourism board. Many were inspired to travel around Egypt, and participate in the campaign. Despite the ups and downs Egypt has been through since the launch of the campaign, the momentum survived, even inspiring neighbouring countries such as the Gulf to visit Egypt in their off-season. All with zero media spend.