In line with its efforts to increase inbound tourism, especially from the US market, the Egyptian Tourism Authority (ETA) has unveiled a host of new features on its international website www.egypt.travel. Mr Ahmed El Khadem, Chairman of the ETA, commented: “Since launching just nine months ago we have welcomed a staggering 2.2 million visitors to www.egypt.travel. The latest enhancements are part of our ongoing efforts to provide visitors to Egypt with the best available advice and resources to help them make the most of their trip to our fascinating country.”

The newly revamped portal reflects the ETA's new branding, and features an updated layout with even more detailed content as well as extensive information on 15 key destinations.

The online Arabic lexicon lexicon.egypt.travel enables travellers to learn some of the essential phrases and words used in day-to-day situations that they may encounter on a vacation to Egypt. Based on five different travel-themed scenarios - airport, taxi, hotel, restaurant and souk - the lexicon displays a series of images and audio dialogues, which can also be downloaded to allow for further practice.

To quote El Khadem: “Our aim is to provide travellers with a one-stop online resource that not only features essential and useful destination information to travellers and trade alike, but also boasts innovative features to enhance the browsing experience still further.

“Through the newly added Arabic lexicon and our upcoming link-up with Google Earth, featuring satellite views of destinations and tourist sights,” he added, “visitors can now begin their Egyptian adventure...before they go!”