Egypt News - Property, Apartments, Villas, Land, Businesses For Sale in Egypt.
News March 22 2006
Hey, Big Spender: Stay a While.
The Ministry of Tourism is launching a national and international campaign
to encourage visitors to stay longer, spend more and feel a little more
welcome
Tourism revenues have skyrocketed in the last few years as Egypt
has redefined itself to European visitors as primarily a sun and sand location
along the Red Sea, reaching $6.4 billion
in 2005, up from $5.5 billion in 2004. The government’s efforts to
support the industry are clear, with HC Securities estimating that in the
2005-06 budget, 5% of the services’ funding, or LE 9.6 billion, is
earmarked for tourism.
According to Mahmoud El-Kaissouni, chairman of the board of the Egyptian
Tourism Federation, the Ministry of Tourism’s top priority is to expand
national and international publicity campaigns to promote tourism in Egypt.
The Egyptian Tourism Federation, similar to a syndicate, represents both
managers and employees working in the tourism industry.
The ministry plans to extend the domestic media campaign for a period of
five years, to encourage domestic tourism and to shape public response to
foreign tourists. The campaign will encourage all sectors of society to
treat tourists as dear and important guests who are vital to the economy
in Egypt and whose revenue improves the standard of living.
The second publicity campaign will target an international audience by advertising
Egypt’s treasures, focusing not only on historic monuments but also
on natural sites such as beaches and deserts. Despite repeated requests
for an interview, the Ministry of Tourism had failed to make a representative
available for comment at press time.
The ministry has been trying to encourage communication and work on a strategy
that coordinates all of the ministries that affect the sector. El-Kaissouni
says that some ministries and authorities are charging extra fees on any
activity popular with tourists, to increase revenue. He cites restaurant
and casino owners who pay a premium to open venues in tourist areas. “The
ministry should be respected and treated as an independent entity that generates
more income to the country and builds its future,” says El-Kaissouni.
Industry analysts point to the danger of additional terrorist attacks and
weak infrastructure as obstacles to the sector’s growth. “Geopolitical
risks still remain a concern, despite tourism showing a great resilience
to the recent Sharm El-Sheikh bombings, [which resulted in] a lower-than-expected
drop in tourists. Yet, fear of terrorists attacks still lies ahead, demanding
higher security control,” says Germaine Benyamin, a financialanalyst
at HC Securities. She adds that the services sector needs huge development,
particularly in the areas of transportation and infrastructure.
El-Kaissouni suggests several steps the ministry should take to further
enhance Egypt’s position as a tourist destination. He stresses the
need to reactivate the Supreme Council of Tourism, which is chaired by the
Prime Minister and includes eight ministries and all governorates of Egypt
that contain tourism attraction sites. He argues that the council should
convene every two months so that the ministries, particularly of Civil Aviation,
the Interior, and Finance can coordinate their efforts. According to El-Kaissouni,
decisions taken by the council in previous years were ignored. “This
is the most important council of tourism in Egypt, and its decisions should
be carried out immediately,” he says.
Benyamin suggests that the ministry should intensify its promotion campaign
to focus on high net worth tourists. “So far we have been focused
on promoting cultural and recreational tourism, missing other areas that
indicate a huge potential: health, ecotourism and business tourism,”
says Benyamin. “Aside from aiming at increasing the number of tourist
arrivals in Egypt, we should also be targeting increasing their staying
period and their spending through enhancing services provided.”
Boeing and AMC Airlines
A charter airline operating out of Cairo, today announced the delivery of
the airline's first 737-800 with Blended Winglets. AMC's new 737-800 departed
Boeing Field on Friday for a shuttle flight to its home base at Cairo
International Airport.
AMC will operate four Boeing 737-800s, acquired via GECAS, as part of its
initial plans for upgrade and expansion of its fleet. The airline was successfully
launched in 1994 as an extension of Aircraft Maintenance Company which was
established in 1988 by owner and President Elsayed Saber and his family.
"The Next-Generation 737-800 was the logical choice for us because
it is the only aircraft in its class capable of performing the mission as
we've defined it," said Mr. Saber. "The airplane has unmatched
reliability and overall operating efficiency, allowing us the range to fly
fully loaded to and from Egypt to the most northern parts of Europe and
our other distant markets."
Boeing's 737 family of airplanes leads the single-aisle market as the most
modern and highly efficient jetliner in its class.
"Having yet another positive assessment of the Next-Generation 737
from a well-experienced and highly qualified individual like Mr. Saber lends
even greater credence to the airplane's well-deserved reputation for superior
performance and its substantial benefit for operators in the Egyptian market,
" said Ed Schachle, BCA's regional sales director. "We look forward
to continuing to work with the airline as it executes its plans for profitability
and growth."
AMC operates charter flights from Europe to Egypt's tourist destinations,
as well as tailored charter flights.
Amadeus and Thomas Cook extend their partnership
for four years
Amadeus and Thomas Cook have extended their partnership by signing a global
agreement. The deal adds Egypt to the list of markets where the companies
work together, and extends their partnership for another four years.
The agreement also covers Germany, France, Belgium, Austria, Hungary, Poland,
UK, India and Sri Lanka. Thomas Cook, the largest travel agent in Egypt,
with this deal, will become Amadeus’ largest travel agency customer
in the country.
“Egypt is a key growth market for Amadeus: according to the Egyptian
Tourism Authority 8.6 million more people visited the country in 2005 than
in 2004. The authority expects 10 percent growth for 2006 too,” stated
Amadeus.
Gillian Gibson, vice president, Multinational Customer Group, Amadeus, said,
“Thomas Cook’s decision to expand the scope of our global agreement
shows how seriously we take our role as technology partner to the travel
industry.”
Egypt Air recently signed an agreement for Amadeus Altéa Customer
Management Solution, according to which the airline will outsource its reservation,
inventory and departure control systems to Amadeus.
As part of its ongoing strategic plan of modernisation, Egypt Air decided
to replace its in-house legacy passenger service system, operational since
1982, with Altéa CMS. Amadeus will be the system integrator for Egypt
Air's IT Modernisation Project, and through Altéa CMS, will provide
the airline with state-of-the-art solutions for inventory management, multi-channel
sales and reservation, full electronic ticket management plus distribution
and departure control services.
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