Mubarak has now resigned - and a new day dawns on Egypt !!
I am certain i am not the only Australian tour operator in this scenario. I am certain there will be many more here in Australia and even more from all over the world.
I am certain i am not the only Australian tour operator in this scenario. I am certain there will be many more here in Australia and even more from all over the world.
There will be a time soon when Egypt will need tourism more than it ever has before.
Egypt is heavily reliant on its tourism - some data shows statistics quoting 12% of Egypt’s workforce work in tourism.
A decrease in tourism will hurt - a lot of people. It directly effects people in all manner of roles and positions from the waiters in the Cairo hotel restaurants, to the taxi driver in Luxor, to the Felucca owner in Aswan who operates $200 a person 3 night Nile cruise's to backpackers , the same Nile Cruise i did when i travelled Egypt.
We had a group of 12 people travelling to Syria and then into Egypt. Egypt has been cancelled - and all passengers are now travelling to Jordan and Syria instead. The Egypt component was 6 days - with hotels in Cairo booked, ground and guided transport arranged, and all arrangements paid for in full to suppliers. There was also Nile Cruise bookings, as well as pre and post arrangements in Luxor and Aswan all paid for.
We had a group of 12 people travelling to Syria and then into Egypt. Egypt has been cancelled - and all passengers are now travelling to Jordan and Syria instead. The Egypt component was 6 days - with hotels in Cairo booked, ground and guided transport arranged, and all arrangements paid for in full to suppliers. There was also Nile Cruise bookings, as well as pre and post arrangements in Luxor and Aswan all paid for.
Pre paying is not all that unusual - but it makes things extremely difficult after a crisis like this. Refunds are not given, but credit towards future arrangements are allocated - often with short time frames in which to use the credit, 3 months in some cases.
The real problem for us is that the tourism outlook for Egypt is so bleak - few people are likely to consider travelling there for a long time. A death knell for money tied up in pre paid services.
Our business partner and tourism operator in Egypt, Tarek is out of pocket $34,000 in pre paid services and is unlikely to recoup this money unless we can sell these products and services. In the grand scheme of things, this is not a huge amount of money and is not larger numbers of passengers.
Tarek is not going out of business due to this loss – though some will have sustained losses that have meant just that. They are now bankrupt. What is apparent is the struggle he will have on his hands over the next 12 -24 months.
Tarek is not going out of business due to this loss – though some will have sustained losses that have meant just that. They are now bankrupt. What is apparent is the struggle he will have on his hands over the next 12 -24 months.
Egypt is and will remain a wonderful place with amazing people. It is apparent now, more than ever before that Egypt is a modern, forward thinking society.
Tourism in Egypt needs to bounce back - and quickly. It needs it urgently in the short term to ensure it doesn't cripple the overseas operators selling Egypt and the inbound operators on the ground - and it needs it steadily in the long term to ensure its sustained economic impact.
So if you want to travel to Egypt, or are a Australian Travel Agent that has clients wanting to travel to Egypt, please consider calling us for your booking.
It would directly benefit my partner Tarek, his young family, the families of the 22 staff employed by Tarek. It would help Egypt as a whole in a very small way, that all contributes to the larger picture.
It would directly benefit my partner Tarek, his young family, the families of the 22 staff employed by Tarek. It would help Egypt as a whole in a very small way, that all contributes to the larger picture.
It will help the country, and its people - more so than anything else as it rebuilds from huge change.
A holiday in Egypt, a country with a history dating back thousands of years is one of the most interesting travel experiences you will ever have. The people involved in tourism, and the infrastructure are first class - but they literally will not survive without tourists.
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Watch Tarek on 60 Minutes last night !
