A partnership agreement has been signed between Egypt's Federation of Tourism Chambers (EFTC) and the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TURSAB) to boost cooperation in the field of tourism and to promote Egypt and Turkey as key tourist destinations in the region, Elhamy El-Zayat, the head of the EFTC, announced on Monday.

It has also been agreed that Egypt will be the "country of the year" in Turkey for the year 2014 as part of a series of marketing campaigns aiming to promote tourism in Egypt and cultural exchange between the two countries, El-Zayat added.

"In the spirit of fraternity, Turkey will be the country of the year in Egypt for the year 2015," asserted El-Zayat.

The partnership came after representatives of Turkish travel agencies and top Turkish airlines visited the Red Sea resort of Hurghada and met with officials from the EFTC and discussed prospects of mutual cooperation aimed at boosting tourism flows to Egypt.

The agreement ensures special treatment for Turkish airlines as well as discounted rates to both Turkish and Egyptian destinations. It also aims to attract tourists from distant areas such as Latin America and the Far East.

The number of Turkish tourists to Egypt has reached 53,000 in 2012. Turkey received almost 122,000 Egyptian tourists in the same year.

Cooperation between the two countries has reached a high level since the Muslim Brotherhood's rise to power in Egypt. Egypt's new leadership has pointed to Turkey as a 'model' to follow.