Tour companies and hotels: Low prices are the reason for attracting a segment of Egyptians that does not suit hotel services
Spreading a culture of holidays boosts demand for tourism and travel
Luxor and Aswan top the list of most attractive destinations for winter bookings, followed by Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada
By Akram Medhat
With the approach of the mid-year school holiday season, which represents the peak season for Egyptians' domestic tourism in winter, tour companies and hotels are aiming to attract a large number of them, especially after its revival since last winter, by marketing their programs to the most popular tourist cities, most importantly Luxor and Aswan, Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada, followed by Marsa Alam.
One of the promotion tools is participation in tourism fairs, the latest of which was the first edition of the Cairo ITM tourism fair, held in the middle of last week with the participation of more than 30 tour companies and hotel groups, in addition to well-known booking websites, which represent the largest window through which travelers choose the tourism program that suits them, including hotels and means of travel, whether by air or by land tourist transport.
In this context, Ahmed Noureldin, general manager of Mayaseen Tourism, said the company's main activity is religious tourism and flight bookings, and it has recently begun to focus on domestic tourism, achieving an acceptable volume of business there.
He told Travel Yalla News that the company's activity has become more focused on domestic tourism due to the suspension of Umrah, which is the reason for its participation, as one of the sponsors of the Cairo ITM fair, noting that domestic trips are heading more to Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada, and to Luxor and Aswan, especially during the mid-year school holiday, which have seen price rises as a result of the increased operating costs of Nile cruise ships and the demand for them, as well as a relative improvement in foreign tourist arrivals.
He explained that fairs are a meeting point for tour companies that attract travel lovers, such as club members and university students, and through them attractive promotional offers can be made, especially for young people, while at the same time we establish a culture of holidays among Egyptians.
On the other hand, the general manager of Mayaseen Travel said that domestic tourism in Egypt needs awareness programs for Egyptian travelers that include guidelines and advice on how to deal with hotels and services, in an attractive and effective way without any criticism, so that the seasonal campaign on social media highlighting the extent of hotels' dissatisfaction with Egyptian guests does not spread.
He added that hotels themselves need to change their way of dealing and service to suit Egyptian guests, because the requirements of foreign tourists differ from those of Egyptians, and here comes the role of the tour company in preparing a program with integrated services suitable for Egyptians in hotels, which leads to raising the level of service for domestic tourism.
He noted that although companies are keen to distribute a guidance sheet with restaurant times and the rules for using swimming pools, the behavior of some individuals harms the overall image.
Outbound Tourism Active Despite the Impact of the Flotation
On another note, Noureldin pointed out that outbound tourism has recently seen notable demand, especially honeymoon trips, which is a good indicator despite the rise in travel costs after the flotation of the pound, especially to Dubai, Thailand, Paris, Malaysia, the Maldives and Beirut, so we are keen to market its programs in parallel with domestic tourism.
He revealed to Travel Yalla News that among the programs being prepared are trips to Russia for Egyptian fans to attend Egypt's matches at the 2018 World Cup, but they will be announced in detail after the draw is held and the cities hosting the different teams' matches are determined, in order to set the program, including prices and hotels in each city, and determine the number of flight hours with transit, as the status of direct flights between Egypt and Russia remains unclear. He revealed that bookings have already been made on scheduled and charter flights, and that we are currently promoting the availability of these programs at the company, stressing that no flight seat to Russia will go unbooked, and that prices will not be affected even if direct flights resume, as they will not be able to cover the volume of demand.
For his part, Taha El-Esseily, head of Seven Stars Tourism, said that Cairo ITM is the first fair in which the company has participated, and the aim was to attract the public and companies from various sectors, but the fair needed more advertising than that, as the turnout and the resonance of organizing such a fair point to the absence of promotion for it, which would have achieved better positive results.
He added that Egyptians need more domestic tourism fairs, which open the way for competition and give the public the opportunity to choose between companies' programs according to what suits them, and thus judge the quality of the offer, as they cannot do so when they go to a particular company without alternatives or offers to compare.
He pointed out to Travel Yalla News the rising demand for domestic tourism, which has been accompanied by price increases at acceptable rates. Luxor and Aswan bookings are the most popular, as they depend on the mid-year school holiday at the end of January and the beginning of February, with their program prices ranging from EGP 1,600 to 2,000, including full-board hotel accommodation for 4 nights/3 days and visits to archaeological sites, but without transfers, noting also the strong demand for trips to Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada, especially since last summer.
El-Esseily stressed the importance of domestic tourism for hotels in covering operating costs amid the slump in foreign traffic and in avoiding layoffs, but in return they are harmed by Egyptians' misuse of hotel services, the reason for which is low prices, noting that companies help avoid these problems by giving clients a guidance sheet before trips, in addition to notes announced by the trip supervisor on the rules of dealing with hotels, but in the end the behavior of some individuals cannot be fully controlled.
Hotels and Domestic Tourism Activity
In a related context, Yasser Medhat, assistant regional sales director for Azur hotels in Egypt, said that Cairo ITM is the third fair in Egypt in which Azur hotels have participated, adding that domestic tourism needs more fairs, but more importantly the building of a strong public relations network to attract clients, especially major companies in sectors such as petroleum, pharmaceuticals and telecommunications, in addition to hotels and tour companies, as well as allowing enough time at the fair, because this supports exhibitors' activity in meeting their target clients, as Cairo ITM lacks strong promotion and advertising of the event to achieve the desired results.
He added that Azur operates 10 hotels in Egypt, some of which rely on Egyptians, such as those in Alexandria and Ain Sokhna, while foreigners dominate the Red Sea hotels alongside Egyptians, in addition to conference activity.
On hotel pricing policy, the assistant regional sales director for Azur hotels explained to Travel Yalla News that there are periods of the year whose prices are set at customary percentage increases over ordinary days, namely the Sham El-Nessim, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha holidays and the mid-year school holiday, noting that some hotels usually do not cut their prices during these periods, and that there are hotels that maintain their name and price level, which is reflected in the quality of service.
He pointed out that Azur hotel prices rise and fall according to occupancy, and in times of stagnation prices fall, but within the limits of covering operating costs, without losses or a negative impact on the level of service, with promotional offers continuing throughout the year, stressing the difficulty of setting a minimum price for hotels, and that in reality those in charge of pricing policy do not abide by any collective agreements, because the final contracts with clients are what determine the price.
Regarding the problems of domestic tourism with hotels, Yasser Medhat said that each hotel has its own policy and sends tour companies the rules for guests' use of its various basic and recreational services, to avoid any problems or losses and to preserve its image in the eyes of foreign tourists.
He stressed that guests' level and awareness will rise with more frequent dealings with hotels, praising the Egyptian tourist's understanding and readiness to change and adapt to the rules of any hotel, but the more hotels lower their prices, the more they attract clients of a cultural level that does not suit them, in addition to dealing with weak companies.
It is worth noting that last week saw the Cairo ITM fair held on November 14 and 15, opened by Rashad Refaie, chairman of Misr Travel, and Brigadier General Mohamed Samir, head of Bright Future for media and conference organizing and former military spokesman, with the participation of more than 30 tour companies and hotels, aiming to boost domestic tourism, especially with the start of the winter season and the approach of the mid-year school holiday.
