Vigorous marketing efforts yield positive signs for tourism
Egypt, Economics, 2/18/2002

Egypt's tourism industry has achieved an annual growth rate of 12.5 per cent, three times higher than the growth rate sought for the national economy, said Tourism Minister Mamdouh el- Beltagui.

"Attaining these rates at a time when turbulence and acts of violence have not stopped-demonstrates the robustness of the Egyptian tourism," he told a recent symposium in the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of Hurghada.

The gathering was organized by the Egyptian Travel Writers Association in Hurghada and drew the participation of Red Sea Governor Mr. Saad Abu Reeda, Chairman of the Travel Writers Association Mr. Galal Dewidar and many tourism entrepreneurs Mr. Wahid Rahmi, the chairman of the Red Sea Investors Association, Mr. Samir Metwalli, general manager of Continental International Hotels Co. and Mr. Magdi Tekla, general Manager of Hurghada Inter-Continental Resort also attended.

Addressing the symposium, Beltagui said that a record 5.5 tourists came to Egypt In 2000. He referred to fruitful efforts made to increase the hotel accommodation capacity, adopt more effective market techniques and enhancing the quality control of services offered to tourists. "These mechanisms have enabled the Egyptian tourism to face the regional crisis from September, 2000," he said. He added that while tourism economies in other parts of the region have crumbled the Egyptian tourism managed one year after the eruption of the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation to increase nights spent by tourists in Egypt by 13 per cent. Taking up the repercussions of the September assaults in the US, the minister said that like others Egypt felt their impact.

In addition to the global economic slump and prevalent apprehension, the situation has been difficult for Egypt for being categorised among "danger zones due to unabated Palestinian -Israeli conflict. So it was logical that Egypt launched a large-scale public relations campaign undertaken by the tourism ministry with the aim of reassuring tour operators travel agents and tourists about the safety of Egypt as a travel destination," said the minister.

Highlighting the positive signs of these efforts, he said that the slump in tourism reached an unprecedented 545 per cent in November, only to drop to 23 per cent in December. There are expectations that the situation will steadily improve and return to normal by next fall. The minister cited indications covering the first 10 days of November as showing a rise in the average occupancy hotel rates to 61 per cent nationwide.

He, however cautioned against slackness in handling the crisis. He renewed a pledge that the government would not intervene in the pricing policy of the hotel installations. He urged the professional associations to agree on minimum and maximum levels of prices which would take standards of services into consideration.

He, meanwhile, contended that his ministry is encouraging domestic tourism.

There is already a growth in domestic tourism during the holiday season due to reductions offered by hotels and (travel) companies on the one hand, and the growth of the national economy and the citizens' incomes on the other," he told the audience.

At the end of the symposium, Red Sea Governor presented to el Beltagui the governor's commemorative shield in recognition of his efforts to enhance tourism development.

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