Turning revolution into tourist dollars is at the heart of a new campaign by Egyptair and other Egyptian travel agencies to promote Tahrir Square as the hottest new attraction in the middle east, reports Agence France-Presse.
On a normal day, Tahrir Square is little more than a busy roadway clogged with heavy traffic, and it was virtually unknown before protestors turned it into the main site of Egypt’s revolution, eventually overthrowing the existing government regime under Hosni Mubarak.
With Mubarak now out of office, tour operators are hopeful that foreign visitors will start returning, and at the top of many to-do lists is a stop at Tahrir Square. Already it has been graced with high profile visits from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, U.S. Senator John Kerry and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
The press coverage has left tourism companies scrambling to get in on the promotion. Local air carrier Egyptair created a stirring video, The Egyptian Revolution: Wings of Freedom, filled with news-clips and images that feature the square and its central role in the conflict.
"Many people ask for Tahrir Square, they say ‘are we going to pass by?’ The day they come to the Egyptian Museum, they’ll be in the square," said Aladin Morsy, manager of El Wedian Tours, which maintains its office on the square.