The launch of charter flights to Egypt has been discussed for a long time. The only question is when the first plane from Russia will fly to the resorts of the ARE. And if in the event of the opening of charters, regardless of when this happens, tourists will be in the black, then a number of beach destinations will obviously lose some of their tourist flow. Moreover, according to some experts, if charters are launched closer to summer, “the start of sales in Turkey will fail.”
Let us recall that in April 2018, regular air traffic between Moscow and Cairo was restored, and later, on October 17, a conversation took place between the leaders of Russia and Egypt. Vladimir Putin and Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, during which a decision was made to resume charter flights between the two countries (details at the link).
And here it is worth noting that during the absence of Egypt, many tourists managed to find alternative holiday destinations, which with the resumption of charters to Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh may lose part of the tourist flow. Representatives of travel companies told the TRN portal about the impact that a fully returned Egypt will have on other beach destinations.
Thus, according to the general director of the Pink Elephant travel agency network, Aleksan Mkrtchyan, everything will depend on when exactly Egypt will open. “If it is returned within the next two months, then it will not have a strong impact on Turkey, where the low season is beginning. But if it is, say, closer to spring – in March or April – then the tourist flow to the republic may sag. It is necessary to understand that Egypt has been closed to Russians for more than three years. Of course, postponed trips and accumulated expectations will have an effect. That is, the closer to spring, the worse it is for Turkey. The most negative scenario is if Egypt opens, say, in May or June. Then the start in Turkey will be a complete failure.”
Answering the question of what awaits Tunisia if Egypt is opened in the near future, the expert explained: "Tunisia is not a competitor to Egypt. Its finest hour passed in 2016, when Turkey was closed. Now Tunisia has fallen significantly and further growth is not expected. Especially considering the fact that Egypt will be significantly cheaper in terms of both flights and hotel prices."
Speaking about winter beach destinations, Aleksan Mkrtchyan noted that everything will depend on when charters are officially allowed. "If Egypt opens now, then it will be a strong blow, and, for example, to the Emirates, where the high season has started. That is, everything depends on the dates," he explained.
At the same time, the expert himself believes that charters to Egypt will not be launched before December. “I don’t want to guess. But for some reason it seems to me that there will be a gift to the Russian people on December 31, New Year’s Eve. And the first charters will fly after the 20th of January. Here is my forecast. First, they will most likely fly to Hurghada, and a little later, in March-April, to Sharm El Sheikh,” explained the CEO of the Pink Elephant chain.
In turn, the press service of the tour operator Tez Tour, on the contrary, stated the benefit of opening charters to Egypt for some destinations. "If we talk about the competition between Egypt and summer Turkey, we must understand that they have different seasonality. The high season in Egypt runs from October to early May, in Turkey, on the contrary, from May to October. If we talk about the medium term and competition with winter flight programs, then opening Egypt will even be beneficial for some destinations, since there is excess transportation and cheap offers," explained Tez Tour.
Let us recall that experts previously announced a forecast according to which charter flights to Egypt will not be launched before the New Year (more details at the link: http://www.trn-news.ru/news/82896).
Source: trn-news.ru
