Egypt aims to build on the strong recovery of its tourism sector in 2017 with a better marketing strategy, Tourism Minister Rania El Mashat told tourism portal FVW. “We must be more flexible and faster with our marketing,” El Mashat said, adding that “Egypt needs to find a story to tell and then adapt it for different key source markets.” She also said she intends to make Egypt a more attractive destination for a wider range of tourists.

The ministry is now working to “revisit some of [the] parameters” of the charter flights incentives program, El Mashat told Reuters on Thursday. The minister did not disclose further details on what changes are being considered, but noted that they are “based on feedback from our different stakeholders.” The program — which expires in October — offers payouts and fee exemptions to flights and tour operators that bring in a certain number of tourists. This comes as Thomas Cook is reporting a 50% y-o-y jump in summer and winter bookings in 2018, Blue Sky CEO Hossam El Shaer tells Al Shorouk. According to El Shaer, Marsa Alam and Hurghada are seeing the biggest jump in bookings, while winter bookings to Luxor are up 20% y-o-y.

Cruise ship circuit with Greece, Cyprus? El Mashat is reported to have agreed with her Greek and Cypriot counterparts to establish a cruise ship line between the three countries, according to Ahram Gate. A committee will be formed to study the project’s feasibility and details.