Sibuyan Sea

Egypt's tour operators hoping visitors will soon return

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• published: 03 Aug 2015
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LEADIN: Political unrest and violence in Egypt since the Arab Spring dealt a massive blow to tour operators and travel companies, who've offered cheaper deals to bolster visitor numbers. Tourists in the high value luxury market tend to be more cautious, but as the industry recovers, Egyptian businesses are going all out to lure them back. STORYLINE: Tourism is one of Egypt's largest foreign currency earners. These ancient stones have, like magnets, drawn visitors from around the world. Decades ago all the whole industry here would have been aimed at the wealthy. This trade in luxury combined with the exotic has suffered a serious setback in the last four years, but the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) claims to be bullish about Egypt's prospects. It says the total contribution of travel and tourism to Egypt's gross domestic product in 2013 was over twelve per cent. According to the WTTC earnings from tourism are set to rise by almost five per cent in the next ten years. The head of the Federal Chamber of Tourism, Elhamy El Zayat says official calculations show that by the end of this year tourism will amount to $6 billion (US). That's half the $12.5 billion dollars (US) earned in 2010. High end tourism represents 3.5 percent of the number of tourists and 7.5 percent of the income. There are businesses offering personalised tours of Cairo, or the ruins of the Karnak Temple at Luxor which is steeped in ancient artefacts. Egitalloyd is one of few travel agencies specialised in luxury tourism in Egypt. Mamdouh El Sebai is the C.E.O and has been working in this sector of the economy for the past thirty years. According to El Sebai exclusive tourists demand a much more tailored experience than others, but they are small in numbers. He says: They do not represent a big portion of the number of tourists because most luxury tourists come for cultural tourism and not leisure tourism. So the numbers are less, I would say maximum 10 per cent." Referring to his own business El Sebai says: "It's almost four years, and I've had ten customers. That's two and a half per year." In Zamalek, an island on the Nile in Cairo, the Marriott Hotel is considered as one of the most luxurious in the city. It was originally a palace built by a king, for a queen. Egyptian ruler Khedive Ismail built the Al Gezirah palace in 1869 to host Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon the third, who was guest of honour for the inauguration of the Suez Canal. The palace was seized almost a decade later because of outstanding debts which had not been settled. It was renovated and turned into a hotel. In 1919 it was bought by a wealthy Syrian family, but in the 1960s it was nationalised by Egypt's President Gamal Abdel Nasser and renamed the Omar Khayyam Hotel. It's been a Marriot since the 1970s when an additional two towers were built with 1,250 guest rooms. General manager Rick Zeola admits the drop in tourism was harmful to the industry, but he says: "We were kind of the best of the worse for the last four years. We were the most fortunate in really unfortunate circumstances." Zeola is convinced these grand rooms will soon be filled with tourists. He says: In the last three or four months business has really improved. In contrast to the last four years we're doing really well." Various restaurants inside the hotels offer a selection of dishes from worldwide cuisines. A chef in the kitchen prepares a fresh salad for the Italian restaurant and a mixed seafood platter for the prestigious Saraya Gallery. According to Zeola Egypt is particularly well suited to meet the expectations of more exclusive clients. The hotel has two royal suites and a spacious presidential suite. Walid El Batouti is an Egyptologist and tourist guide. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/b889ea95857f98114076ca2a05429f15 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork