The state's push toward Upper Egypt projects requires more hotels along the Nile Valley
By Akram Medhat
Ramadan Hagagy, chairman of Viking Group for Tourism and Hotels, stressed the need to open the Nile navigation channel from Cairo to Aswan, which stretches 980 km, instead of floating hotels being crammed between Luxor and Aswan within a stretch of no more than 210 km, calling for them to be granted mooring licenses in the tourist governorates along the valley.
Hagagy told "Travel Yalla News" that the state's push toward Upper Egypt projects and attracting foreign investment, alongside the New Administrative Capital, requires hotels for accommodation, as the cities of northern and central Upper Egypt lack hotel capacity suited to the expected volume of demand. This would preserve the investment and the maintenance of the boats, bring the hotels better income, help raise their prices and keep their occupancy improving throughout the year rather than being tied only to seasonal tourism.
Hagagy explained that the main obstacle is the lack of moorings in the governorates along the Nile Valley, while licensing approvals require 22 bodies and take months and sometimes years.
He pointed out that floating hotel occupancy rates in Luxor were high during the past winter season because activity was confined to only 62 boats out of a total of about 280 floating hotels. Although this is considered the start of a breakthrough, there are other solutions that could put the rest of the hotels into operation, he said, calling on the Ministry of Tourism to facilitate their task so that they do not run into routine administrative procedures that hold up activity.
Hagagy noted that the "Royal Viking" hotel he owns is located on the Maadi Corniche and is docked at a licensed mooring; otherwise the Ministry of Tourism would halt its activity with an administrative closure order. The hotel came from Luxor seeking to operate in Cairo amid the stagnation of cultural tourism in the south during the summer season. It relies on Nile cruises at set times, in addition to hosting parties, as well as meetings and conferences for some companies and accommodation for a number of foreigners working for them in Egypt.
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Floating Hotels Search for Life in Cairo During the Summer, but Moorings Are the Biggest Obstacle
