Egypt expects tourism to rebound this year to pre-revolution levels

(Reuters) - Egypt's tourism minister expects the number of tourists to rebound this year to pre-revolution levels of 14.5 million after slumping in 2011 following an uprising that forced out President Hosni Mubarak and brought much of Egypt's economy to a halt.

There were already signs of improvement with tourist arrivals rising 40 percent in the first four months o f this year from a year earlier, Mounir Fakhry AbdelNour said.

Tourism used to account for more than a tenth of Egypt's gross domestic product (GDP) before the uprising, and it employs an estimated one in eight workers in a country where anger over high unemployment triggered the uprisings.

"My aim for this year is to see the number of tourists to Egypt this year rise to 2010 levels," AbdelNour told reporters during a press conference during a visit to Dubai.

"The growth in tourism numbers this year will be driven by new products we are offering like the reopening of the Nile cruise from Cairo to Aswan ... I think during May and June we will be weak due to the presidential elections but later will (see a) rise."

Presidential elections are due to finally take place next month, more than a year after Mubarak's departure.

In 2010, around 14.7 million tourists visited Egypt generating around $12.5 billion, but their numbers slumped to 9.8 million visitors in 2011 generating $8.8 billion, said AbdelNour.

"Given that prices of room rates have dropped since the time of the uprising we expect that revenues this year will be lower compared to 2010," he said without giving further details. Average spending per tourist fell to $72 a day last year, from around $85 a day in 2010, he said.

One bright spot for Egypt has been healthy numbers of Russian and Eastern European tourists, who have not been deterred by instability in the region.

Asked if the growing influence of Islamists in government would affect tourism, and lead to rules that would ban alcohol sales and outlaw mixed bathing and bikinis in popular resorts, AbdelNour was optimistic that the industry would not be affected.

"I don't think that any political leader with any ideology would take action against that would harm this industry's growth," he said. (Editing by Susan Fenton)

The Second UNWTO International Conference on Tourism and Media Starts on Thursday in Marsa Alam, Egypt

Conference titled " Working with the Media during Challenging Times".

Abu Dhabi, 25 April 2012: As a sign of the Egyptian tourism industry's continuous recovery; the Second World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) International Conference on Tourism and Media will begin on Thursday 26, April 2012 under the patronage of the Ministry of Tourism- Egypt and Egyptian Tourist Authority in Egypt (ETA).

H.E. Mounir Fakhry Abd ElNour, Minister of Tourism of Egypt, and Taleb Rifai, Secretary General of UNWTO will be opening the conference, which will run until Friday 27th April. , . The event will include over 400 participants and officials from international organizations and tourism and media representatives from Arab countries such as Kuwait, Bahrain, Libya, Lebanon, Jordan, Sudan and Egypt.

The conference will emphasize Egypt's pioneering position as a host to the most important historical, cultural, and artistic events in the region. Furthermore, it stresses on Egypt's standing as a favorable destination for tourists around the world. Titled "Working with the Media during Challenging Times;" the conference will highlight the role of tourism in media, and will review the practices of successful communication in addition to discussing the most important tools to achieve a clear vision on media and tourism communication.

Commenting on Egypt's hosting of this important event; Amr El Ezaby, Chairman of ETA, welcomed all participants in this conference and praised the key role played by media to support and stimulate tourism in Egypt, where the Ministry of tourism and the ETA continue to host significant international conferences and meetings in the field of tourism.

"The media has played a significant and effective role in developing and promoting the tourism culture to the public and the Arab world. We will continue to work on strengthening our bonds with the media to help develop our mechanisms of providing accurate information and delivering them in a timely manner. This will allow media outlets the ability to portray the true picture of Egypt's current situation and to broadcast accurate news thereby reinforcing their credibility. Furthermore, the Arab and international media have contributed in clarifying the true image of the situation in Egypt during the last couple of months, which was reflected in the growth of the number of tourists coming to that increased by 32% during the first quarter of 2012 compared with the first quarter of last year," El Ezaby said.

El Ezaby added: "During the last period, ETA's strategy focused on the Arab markets including the UAE market for it has the ability to support the Egyptian tourism sector. In addition, the UAE media, in all its divisions, played an important role in promoting tourism in Egypt, which was clearly evident in the increase in numbers of Emirati visitors by 15.4% during the first quarter of this year."

Moreover, the participants in the Second International Conference of UNWTO will seek to understand some of the pillars that illustrate the method adopted by media in its planning strategies. Additionally, the participants will examine the mechanisms that enable the tourism sector to have an active role in the media. Furthermore, the conference is scheduled to discuss the latest international best practices in the field of handling and dealing with the media during periods of crisis, which offers positive support for the efforts made to overcome them. Also, ways to own and establish more effective relations with the bodies and tourism authorities with different mass media will also be discussed.

In line with strengthening its position as one of the most important tourist destinations in the region and around the world, ; Egypt participated as a partner in the opening ceremony of "ITB Berlin International 2012" exhibition, one of the most significant global events in the field of tourism.

The Egyptian Tourist Authority

Egyptian Tourist Authority was established in March 1981, by presidential decree No. 134 endorsing a recommendation by the Minister of Tourism. The Authority is dedicated to promoting Egypt as a first class tourist destination, in line with the rise of tourism marketing as an independent discipline and the emergence of new tourism promotion tools. The Authority responded to the increasing competition in the travel and tourism industry, by adopting an advanced structure capable of dynamically dealing with the situation. The completion is due to the rising number of new attractive destinations, budget airlines and the huge progress made by the airlines industry.

For media inquiries, kindly call:

Ghaleb Zeidan/ Wissam Al Saadi / Osama Dagamseh

Weber Shandwick Middle East and North Africa

Mobile: 00971 50 778 2286 / 00971 50 2527265 / 00971 50 3319337

Email:ghaleb.zeidan@ws-mena.com/wissam.alsaadi@ws-mena.com/Osama.dagamseh@ws-mena.com

© Press Release 2012

Egypt Named "Official Home for British Diving"

Egypt has been named diver Destination of the Year 2011.

Mrs Omayma El Husseini, the new Director of the Egyptian State Tourist Office in the UK, accepted the award during the official DIVER Awards ceremony together with Mr Ahmed Hany and Mr Nasri Salib from the Egyptian State Tourist Office Diving Unit in Egypt.

The VIP reception took place at the Novotel, London ExCeL, on Friday, 30 March, organised by the DIVER Group. Additional success was achieved by Red Sea based Camel Dive Club, which won the award for Dive Centre of the Year 2011 for the first time.

Diving enthusiasts across the UK have been voting at the DIVER Awards annually for 14 years, which makes them an authentic source for the top players within the dive industry. Since the Destination of the Year category was introduced in 2003, Egypt has won every consecutive year aside from one when it was awarded second. This year, Egypt outpaced the Maldives and Indonesia, being named once again as the official “Home of British diving”.

Mrs Omayma El Husseini, Director UK, Egyptian State Tourist Office, commented, “We are delighted to hear that Britain’s divers have again voted for Egypt. Egypt’s strong diving offer, year round climate and historical importance have always provided a diverse holiday for any age group.

“Egypt has gone through recent political changes, however this is the first time this has happened in over 30 years and the country is already settling back in. Everything is still very positive.

“The affinity Egypt has with the UK tourism market has always been strong. Winning the Destination of the Year Award is a great sign of trust in Egypt as a hot spot for divers and all tourists alike.”

The Dive Centre of the Year and Liveaboard of the Year categories are also frequently won by dive centres based in Egypt. Hesham Gabr, founder of the Camel Dive Club & Hotel, which became Dive Centre of the Year, commented:

“We are especially proud to have won the Dive Centre of the Year Award for 2011, because this is the same year in which Sharm El Sheikh vas voted Dive Destination of the Year in the World Tourism Awards. British divers have shown us high loyalty over the past year and we would like to thank all divers who have supported us. We look forward to enjoying further world-class Red Sea dives in 2012 and beyond.”Egypt is a mecca for diving enthusiasts. The country’s two coastlines total 2,500km with the Red Sea Riviera being the biggest stretch of warm coastline and beautiful underwater reefs. Year round sunshine, stunning white sandy beaches and a colourful marine life in crystal clear water make Egypt a preferred destination for travellers seeking both undersea adventures and relaxation in the sun. The main seaside resorts Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada, El Gouna, Taba Heights, Soma Bay and Makadi Bay offer accommodation ranging from budget to luxury and an extensive choice of restaurants, cafes, bars and nightclubs.

Published by Ozgur Tore
WEDNESDAY, 04 APRIL 2012 18:23