An initiative was launched in Alexandria to revitalize Egypt's tourism industry following the recent decline in tourist activity.
The initiative, entitled "A Million Postcards," involves the distribution of a million pictures of monuments, natural scenes and paintings from Egypt to embassies, consulates, gift shops and foreign cultural centers, especially those of countries that send large numbers of tourists to Egypt.
The postcards will also be displayed at Egyptian artistic and cultural events held overseas.
Artists and collectors of rare photographs will participate, and the project is sponsored by the Alexandria Association for Cultural and Tourist Development. Different companies will be responsible for distributing the postcards.
Ahmed Essmat, the head of the association, said the initiative seeks to highlight stability and security in Egypt.
He said that a committee of fine arts professors and painters will help choose the postcards.
According to a government report, tourism activity dropped almost 46 percent in the first quarter of 2011. In the same period in 2010, the country received 3.5 million tourists, compared to only 1.9 million this year.
