By Akram Medhat
The Red Sea Tourism Investors Association, headed by Kamel Abu Ali, held a joint meeting with representatives of the Chamber of Hotels, in the presence of Maj. Gen. Ahmed Abdullah, Governor of the Red Sea. Several points were agreed upon, most importantly increasing cooperation and coordination between the association and the Chamber of Hotels in all fields, in the interest of the tourism sector.
Tamer Nabil, the association's Secretary General and a board member of the Chamber of Hotels, said it was decided to take part in the Serbia tourism fair, which kicks off on February 22 in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, with a 200-square-meter pavilion, through a large delegation including many Hurghada hotels and headed by the Red Sea Governor. It will be the first time Egyptian hotels take part in a major tourism fair in the Republic of Serbia.
Nabil added, in a statement issued by the Red Sea Tourism Investors Association, that the Serbian authorities invited Red Sea Governor Maj. Gen. Ahmed Abdullah to be one of the fair's guests of honor and to deliver a speech at the opening ceremony.
It is worth noting that a delegation including members of the Tourism Investors Association, headed by the Red Sea Governor, visited the Republic of Serbia at the end of last year, and a twinning agreement was signed between one of its cities and the city of Marsa Alam. This had a great impact on the success of the first direct flights from Belgrade to Hurghada, at 5 flights per week, a number expected to increase in the coming period.
According to tourism statistics obtained exclusively by Travel Yalla News, inbound tourism from Serbia to Egypt recorded about 18,000 tourists in 2017, up 140% compared to 2016. They spent 205,000 tourist nights, a jump of 1,200% over the nights recorded in 2016.
Serbian tourist traffic indicators continued to rise in 2018, with 12,000 tourists arriving in the first half of 2018, an increase of 106% over the same period in 2017. They spent 154,000 nights, up 225%, figures that confirm the Serbian market is one of the promising European markets.
