Egypt... Many representatives of the tourism industry are literally "shaking" at the mention of this destination - business professionals and tourists themselves have been waiting too long for the return of the Red Sea resorts. The process of negotiations on the launch of flights has been very delayed, no there were no specifics for a long time, and even now, when everything is more or less clear with regular flights, the question of charters remains open. In order to bring at least some clarity to all this and understand what is happening "at the other end of the line" in anticipation of the opening of the "regular flight" tour operator TEZ Tour organized an exclusive trip to Egypt, inviting the editor-in-chief TRN.
Almost every day during the week we promptly informed you of news from Egyptian resorts after meetings with participants in the country's tourism sector, politicians, hoteliers, and posted photo reports.
In this article we will try to tell you more about the real state of affairs. Of course, no one except the president can name the opening date of charters, but we will report everything we know at the moment in order to help representatives of the tourism business better prepare for the long-awaited opening of the destination.
Opportunities at this stage
Russians who do not intend to wait for the route to open and really want to get to the Egyptian resorts of the Red Sea, fly there via neighboring countries, including Belarus.
We flew the night flight Minsk-Hurghada. We got to Minsk on the wings of Aeroflot, and flew to Egypt on Belavia on a charter flight of the tour operator. The connection was about 5 hours and was tolerated normally. The airport in Minsk is modern and convenient: many shops, cozy recreation areas, cafes, there is a paid shower, a children's area, free Wi-Fi.
The charter to the resort was loaded with 100%, mostly Belarusian citizens, but on the way back from Hurghada we saw quite a few “red” passports in the queue.
The planes in the Belavia fleet are new, comfortable, the seat pitch is quite large, even a tall person is quite comfortable. The service on board is polite, friendly, the food is normal.
As reported by TRN General Manager of TEZ Tour Egypt Ehab Wahdan, the company's reservation system already contains several requests for booking hotels in Egypt for March 2018.
According to him, the first hotel booked by Russians after a two-year break was Dreams Beach Resort Sharm El Sheikh 5*.
"We already have several such requests. While there is no adequate transportation, tourists search for and purchase tickets themselves, and book hotels through our system. We, in turn, meet guests, provide them with transfers, excursions," the speaker added.
According to current information, in 2017, more than 50 thousand Russians visited Egyptian resorts on their own.
The cost of a visa is currently $25 at the airport upon arrival.
What to sell after launching regular flights?
The TEZ Tour company has announced its readiness to start sending Russian tourists to Egypt en masse as soon as the first regular and subsequently charter flights from the Russian Federation are launched. At the same time, the tour operator expects to regain its market share, and significantly faster than other companies.
According to Ehab Wahdana, before the suspension of flights from Russia, TEZ Tour was in third place in terms of the number of Russians sent to Egypt.
"Over the past two years, while there were no flights from Russia, we continued to send tourists from different countries of the world to Egypt. We have contracts for over 250 hotels in the republic. Most of them are in Hurghada. In addition, we did not sell, but on the contrary, updated our bus fleet, improved the qualifications of employees, expanded the range of excursions. It is worth noting that the flows from all markets are only increasing, airlines and tour operators are setting up new flights, increasing the frequency," said Ehab Wahdan.
He noted that as soon as the carriers decide on the flight schedule to Cairo from Russia, the tour operator will be ready to offer Russians a full tour package.
It will include an overnight stay in Cairo hotels and a tour of Cairo's sights for tourists from Russia.
"We already have daily excursions to the capital from Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh, and we want to create a product for tourists who will fly to Cairo. This will be one night in the city and a visit to the sights the next day - the historical museum and the pyramids, after which the tourist goes by bus to the resort. We think this will start to be in demand. According to preliminary estimates, such a product will be chosen by a maximum of 100 tourists per day, and we can easily serve such a flow," the speaker said.
It is noteworthy that for passengers of the first flights the excursion around Cairo will be free. However, on condition that the duration of the guests' stay will be no less than 7 days, since there will be those who want to come to Cairo for 2-3 days without the sea, precisely for the purpose of visiting the sights.
For those who want to quickly and comfortably get straight to their hotel on their own, there are connecting flights from Cairo airport directly to the resorts. The flight will take 1-2 hours, and the wait at the airport will be up to 2 hours. This will add about $100 US there and back to the tour price.
“Carriers are ready to offer group discounts, increase the frequency of flights and meet tourists halfway so that the price does not exceed 80 US dollars,” added Ehab Wahdan.
And again about safety
Unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer places on the planet where you can feel maximally protected. But for the past two years, the Russian side has been carefully and meticulously negotiating with the Egyptian authorities about the level of security in the country. The federal media have repeatedly reported on the results of these negotiations.
Today, maximum security measures have been introduced at Egyptian airports. TRN reported this using the example of Cairo airport Ehab Wahdan, which is also member of the board of directors of the Association of Tour Operators of Egypt, member of the working group at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the country on security issues.
Speaking about the nuances of the new system, he clarified that it has become difficult to enter the halls of the Cairo airport and its territory in general without identity documents and tickets to the destination.
"New equipment for checking passengers and employees has been installed, the staff has undergone special training, new specialists have been invited, and the security system itself has been completely changed. At the same time, the speed of passing through all the checkpoints has not increased due to a significant reduction in the number of people entering the airport building. This approach is now used at all airports in the country, including resorts, and we constantly feel it ourselves. Even our friends in the security agencies joke that their detection rate for commercial crimes has increased due to the fact that they have begun to carry out more checks. They fought one thing, and additionally increased the effectiveness of their work on other issues," he said. Ehab Wahdan.
He also clarified that the new work scheme applies to all passengers, including high-ranking ones - officials and diplomats.
The Governor of the Red Sea Regions, Ahmed AbdAlla, also confirmed this information.
He noted that security measures at the airports of resort cities and specifically Hurghada can be rated even higher than at the Cairo airport.
"We have very strict checks at the entrance and at the airport. They check all buses and cars, documents at the entrance to the building," added the head of the region.
Indeed, the situation at the resorts and in the airport areas is calm and smooth, we felt this ourselves while in Egypt.
Together with a large group of tourists, journalists from Russia visited the Cairo Egyptian Museum, saw the pyramids of Giza, and then separately examined the first pyramids of Egypt, including Djoser, the Cairo Citadel, and the Coptic Church.
The joint group of tourists, who left the hotels of Hurghada at night, were accompanied by a convoy. It is worth noting that it was assigned to several buses at once, which at a certain time gathered in a large parking lot on the outskirts of the resort.
The transfer to Cairo took about 5 hours, including a stop for breakfast near a large food court, where you could also buy souvenirs.
Security in all tourist areas is also provided at the highest level. For example, in the Cairo Museum, tourists pass through several "security gates" and "inconspicuous" police officers patrol the halls. The situation is similar in the Giza pyramid complex and other attractions.
Throughout the entire excursion, a security officer was present on the bus and accompanied our group.
"Of course, we hope that the Russians will return soon. In addition, the security level in Egypt is currently at a very high level, and the problem with the delayed launch of air traffic is not at all about this...", he said, commenting on the topic, Regional Manager of the Italian hotel chain Sharm Dreams Holding for Tourism&Hotels SAE Aldo Stinchetti.
Tamer Saed, Co-Partner & COO TEZ Tour (Hurghada), also supported this position: "Currently, Egypt is the world's number one security country. And that's true. We've done everything we can to make it happen. We want to change the world's opinion of the security situation in Egypt. This applies not only to airports, but to the entire system as a whole.".
Hotels in Egypt: prices, conditions, forecasts
As part of our visit, we met with Egyptian hoteliers, who told us about their planned pricing policy, their vision of the market, and gave forecasts for the near future.
So, in response to TRN's question about whether Russian tour operators and tourists should expect an increase in accommodation prices, General Manager of the Egyptian-German network Jaz Aquamarine Hany Gamaleldin reported that the chain's hotels do not plan to increase prices after the opening of charter flights from Russia.
"We will not change prices, this is not part of our plans. However, everything has become more expensive over the past two years - both gasoline and food. We cannot operate at a loss, however, nor can we lose the quality of services. I will not speak for other hoteliers. Everything depends on the hotel's policy," he said.
According to him, Egyptian hotels are not currently in active negotiations with Russian tour operators; everyone is waiting for the exact date of the start of air service, which is constantly being pushed back.
"In general, we expect a very quick recovery of the Russian flow after the opening of charters. It is worth noting that before 2015, 20% of our guests were Russians," the speaker specified.
Joining the conversation Regional Manager of an Italian Hotel Chain Sharm Dreams Holding for Tourism&Hotels SAE Aldo Stinchetti added that in his network the Russian market accounted for at least 50% of the flow.
"Meanwhile, it is extremely important for hoteliers to have a flexible promotion concept in order not to lose business. For example, those hotels that worked only with the Russian market were simply forced to close after the incident with the Russian plane in 2015. We relied on several sources," he said, adding that it is necessary to adapt to the market.
Earlier, TEZ Tour Egypt General Manager Ehab Wahdan stated TRN, that hotel prices in Egypt are now much lower than in 2015. There are two reasons for this: including under-occupancy due to the lack of Russian tourists and the dollar exchange rate, which changed sharply against the Egyptian pound about a year ago.
"Instead of 8 pounds, it is now almost 17. This has helped the country's hoteliers reduce their sales prices. They spend in pounds and earn in dollars. It is profitable for them. Perhaps later, if Russia and England open charters at the same time, the prices will increase. But for now, these several thousand tourists on regular flights will not affect the rates. In addition, hoteliers are very interested in returning the important Russian market. Today, we have many applications from hoteliers to participate in the March MITT exhibition. They want to go to Moscow, talk to potential partners, remind about themselves, tell about their new products, even if charters are not opened before then," he said. Ehab Wahdan.
He also emphasized that most Egyptian hotels have not dropped their level over the past two years. Of course, this applies to those hotels that continued to work with other markets during the entire period of the suspension of flights from Russia. We have a powerful quality control department in our company. We constantly check the level of service to tourists, launch so-called "secret shoppers", in this case, secret tourists. Those hotels that significantly lower their level of work are put on our black list, we stop working with them or temporarily suspend cooperation until the deficiencies are eliminated. These schemes are spelled out in our contracts with hotels," Ehab Wahdan emphasized.
According to him, today there is no labor shortage in the Egyptian labor market, including in the hotel segment.
“Currently, hotels are being cunning and allowing their employees to work in shifts in order to preserve their staff until the full return of the Russian market,” the speaker emphasized.
Meanwhile, Tamer Saed, Co-Partner&COO TEZ Tour (Hurghada), assessing the possible increase in hotel prices after the opening of charters from Russia, he specified that it is expected to be within the range of 10–20%. However, in fact, this will only be a return to the pre-crisis level.
"We expect a very large flow from Russia at the first stage. And then the market will settle down. Most hotels, especially large chains, are ready for such a jump and will fully orient themselves within a month - this concerns almost 90% of the hotel market of our resorts," he specified.
According to his forecasts, Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh will be popular in almost equal shares, but the speaker predicts a special demand for 4* hotels.
"More likely, Hurghada will be opened first, and this is due to several reasons at once,” noted Tamer Saied.
By the way, at the moment Hurghada hotels are loaded at 50–70%. This was stated by TRN Governor of the Red Sea Regions Ahmed AbdAlla. According to him, with the return of Russians, the occupancy of hotels will increase significantly. Currently, there are 76 thousand rooms in 267 hotels in Hurghada.
Excursion and infrastructure innovations
"The city of Hurghada and the region around it are becoming more convenient for tourists. They may not notice it when they arrive, but many expensive projects have been implemented specifically for the convenience of guests. For example, a new road to Cairo has been built, along which tourists are taken on excursions every day. In the near future, there will be a good road to Marsa Alam. A large water treatment plant and a wind power plant have also been launched. We are ready to show guests that we have a good environmental situation, and that they can relax safely and peacefully," - also the governor said.
According to him, in Egypt, in Hurghada, they are really looking forward to the return of Russians and there are many hopes are entrusted with launching charters.
"Our tourism business is waiting for Russians, just as Russians are waiting for the return of the opportunity to vacation in Egypt. We have opened a new large airport terminal in Hurghada, which is ready to receive about 13 million tourists a year. On average, about 5 million people pass through it, plus another 2.5 million through Marsa Alam Airport. In addition, a new airport will soon open in the city of Berenice, 270 km from Marsa Alam, which will also provide additional opportunities for tourism," the governor reported.
The head of the region also said that by the end of the year in Hurghada A new historical museum will open.
"Of course, it will not be as big as the one in Cairo, but we expect that this attraction will start to be in great demand," he said.
By the way, in Giza (a satellite city of Cairo) we stayed in a hotel Mercure, located just next to the new Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) under construction, the first stage of which will open by the end of 2018.
The first exhibit to be launched is the one dedicated to the life of Tutankhamun. It is expected to include more than 15,000 items discovered in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor.
The museum will be fully opened only in a year. In total, it will display more than 100,000 relics. The total area of the museum complex will be 480 thousand square meters.
In addition to the main building, the complex will include a cinema, library, classrooms, conference halls, a multimedia center, a children's museum, a museum for people with disabilities, an entertainment center, exhibition halls for temporary exhibits, and parks. For the convenience of tourists, the museum complex will be connected to the Giza pyramids by a special road.
Egyptian authorities expect the Grand Egyptian Museum to welcome 8 million visitors a year within five years of its opening. When it opens, its exhibits will include the collections of the current Egyptian Museum in Cairo's Tahrir Square, including many objects stored in storage.
They told us about their new excursions at TEZ Tour. The company will soon launch a tour on a stylized pirate yacht in the new popular area of Sahl Hashesh near Hurghada.
The yacht will offer a variety of entertainment, a delicious seafood lunch, banana boat rides, pill rides, fishing, and "pirate forays" into the sea. Tourists will be able to see the new Sahl Hasheesh area, which is actively developing today - new, luxurious hotels are being built here, and experts are confident that it will become the most popular and famous in the region due to its novelty, respectability, and beautiful coral reefs in the coastal waters of the Red Sea.
By the way, in this area we were warmly welcomed by the luxurious Baron Palace Sahl Hasheesh 5* hotel, which has 645 rooms of various categories. The hotel opened in 2014, and great hopes are also placed on the Russian market. The number of Russian-speaking staff (in bars, at the reception, among the animators) alone speaks volumes…
"Russians, real Russians? Well, finally!" - when the hotel staff met us on the beach, they were pleasantly surprised and immediately bombarded us with questions about the nuances of launching flights.
"Yes, real Russians, but for now they are journalists and only for reconnaissance. And tourists will soon, soon be coming...", we answered.
Source: trn-news.ru
