El Gouna. The Destination that Got Hired

Long-term client El Gouna, Egypt challenged Rooster to put the Red Sea destination firmly on the UK travel map and what better way to do it than featuring on a milestone anniversary series of one of Britain’s most popular TV shows.

Enter The Apprentice. For series 20, Rooster secured El Gouna as the location for the corporate away day challenge, giving the destination an hour-long starring role on BBC One in primetime.

The crew and candidates descended on El Gouna, showcasing a range of luxury hotels, enticing restaurants, iconic lagoons, stunning landscapes and unique experiences that make it such a distinctive holiday destination.

But we didn’t stop when the cameras stopped rolling. We used the excitement around the episode as a springboard, combining Out of Home advertising, PR pitching, travel trade and influencer engagement as well as a high-impact exclusive London launch event to turn TV exposure into sustained destination interest.

The results? They were immediate. More than 8 million viewers watched the El Gouna feature, with the destination also appearing on Channel 4’s Gogglebox and discussed on BBC Two’s Unfinished Business spin off show.

Google searches surged as viewers discovered El Gouna with searches for ’El Gouna, Egypt Holidays’ increasing by more than 5,000%. PR activity generated an impressive 799m total readership reach, extending the campaign well beyond the television audience. Most importantly key booking partner, easyJet Holidays reported a 40% year-on-year increase in bookings during the airing month of the episode.

The Apprentice didn’t just give El Gouna a starring role on British TV. It helped shift the destination from awareness to consideration and conversion. From boardroom drama to holiday dreaming, El Gouna got the job done.