Al-Ahram Weekly   Al-Ahram Weekly
18 - 24 March 1999
Issue No. 421
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 Back issues Current issue
 
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Britain's 'Millennium Dome'
A GIGANTIC architectural wonder called the Millennium Dome will be established in Greenwich, London, where the countries of the world will be invited to perform their arts and culture throughout 2000.

Ministry of Tourism officials have been instructed to prepare a study, in cooperation with the Egyptian Embassy in Britain and the Egyptian tourism office in London, to see how Egypt could best benefit from the opportunity and how it could participate.

The Dome is expected to attract 20 million visitors annually.

Road accidents
THE MINISTRY of Tourism and the Tourist Police are looking at the reasons behind recurring road accidents in Egypt. A memo has been distributed to all travel agents with specific instructions to be followed. Stiff penalties will be imposed on agencies whose buses are involved in accidents, especially if police investigations show that they were due to either technical neglect or careless driving.

The ministry has asked police authorities to increase road links between various tourist areas. It has also requested the Ministry of Transport to undertake regular highway maintenance and provide roads with adequate signs, especially in flood-risk areas.

A stand for nature
"THE NATURAL environment lies at the core of the tourist industry and we have to preserve our resources," said Mamdouh El-Beltagui

while detailing a plan to preserve the Red Sea. The tourism minister has joined forces with his environmental affairs counterpart and the governor of the Red Sea.

The project is financed by USAID and aims to preserve natural areas hand-in-hand with appropriate tourism development.

Millennium restoration
IN A meeting with the US ambassador to Egypt, Mamdouh El-Beltagui outlined Egypt's plans for the millennium celebrations. Particular consideration was given to the flight route of the Holy Family into Egypt and the project to restore Islamic, Coptic and Jewish historical buildings in Old Cairo.

The ambassador said he would study the possibility of a USAID contribution to the plans and also ensure that those who work on these projects can use material from the American Research Center in Egypt on Old Cairo, especially studies dealing with subterranean water which threatens many of the sites.

Oneworld promotion
THE Oneworld carrier alliance has launched a $15 million global advertising campaign, including Egypt. Oneworld is a powerful alliance of international airlines British Airways, American Airlines, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Qantas. The campaign will highlight the benefits of the airline alliance, which flies 174 million passengers to more than 600 destinations worldwide. Press, poster and banner campaigns will run in nine different languages and target customers in over 90 countries. The far-reaching promotion will use a combination of local, regional and global titles, a mix of national newspapers, business magazines, airport posters and banners to sell the alliance.  

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