Al-Mashat: We will organize joint promotional campaigns with Azerbaijani tourism companies
Company organizing the Sharm El-Sheikh flights: 75% of them sold as soon as the new route was announced
The Egyptian Embassy in Azerbaijan yesterday evening organized a press conference, attended by Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Tourism, and with the participation of Ambassador Adel Ibrahim, Egypt's ambassador to Azerbaijan, at which the decision of Azerbaijan's national airline AZAL to resume a charter flight from Baku to Cairo as of July 8, and another flight to Sharm El-Sheikh starting on the 18th of the same month, was announced.
This came on the sidelines of the Minister of Tourism's participation in the 110th session of the UNWTO Executive Council, held from June 16 to 18 in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.
The conference was covered by Azerbaijan's official news agency and by major, widely circulated newspapers, magazines and television channels in Azerbaijan.
In this context, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat praised the resumption of flights from Baku to Cairo and Sharm El-Sheikh next July, which will help drive inbound tourism from Azerbaijan to Egyptian tourist cities, noting that once these flights operate, the flight time from Baku to Cairo will be only 3 hours and 20 minutes instead of 14 hours.
She explained that the elements of the new promotional plan also include diversifying the source markets of tourism to Egypt by opening new tourism markets and focusing on promising markets such as the Azerbaijani market and the markets of Asia, Latin and South America, and Central Europe. She also pointed to the strategy pursued by the Ministry of Tourism, which relies on the use of technology and on modernizing the mechanisms for promoting tourism to Egypt.
She said the Azerbaijani market is considered a promising tourism market, as the total number of tourists traveling outside Azerbaijan has reached more than 4 million, with high spending rates, noting that the ministry, in cooperation with the Egyptian Embassy in Azerbaijan, will work to increase Egypt's presence in this market, especially as the recent period has seen a tangible increase in the number of Azerbaijani tourists coming to Egypt, particularly in 2017 and 2018.
The Minister of Tourism stressed Egypt's keenness to take a bigger part in tourism exhibitions in Azerbaijan, noting that Egypt took part in the exhibition held in 2018, and added that Egypt will participate with a larger pavilion next year, especially after the new flights begin operating.
She added that the ministry will work to organize joint promotional campaigns with Azerbaijani tourism companies to introduce the Azerbaijani people to Egypt's tourism and archaeological assets.
During the press conference, the Minister of Tourism referred to the aviation incentive program launched by the ministry in cooperation with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, noting that flights from Baku to Egypt can benefit from the program, which will help increase the number of tourists coming from Azerbaijan to Egypt.
Asked about the possibility of organizing familiarization trips for Azerbaijani media professionals to introduce them to Egypt, she said part of the ministry's promotional campaign relies on organizing familiarization trips (Fam Trips) for media professionals from different countries.
For his part, the Egyptian ambassador to Azerbaijan stressed that the political leadership in both countries is keen to strengthen relations and ties between the two countries, noting that Egyptian tourism has recovered and achieved good rates and figures over the past two years, and that Egypt is ready to welcome Azerbaijani tourists who look forward to visiting Egypt.
During the conference, an official of Self Travel, the Kazakh company that will operate the air route between Egypt and the Azerbaijani capital Baku, gave a presentation on the flights to Sharm El-Sheikh, confirming that the flight will be scheduled, not charter. She noted that there is strong demand for Egypt among the company's customers, as it sold nearly 75% of the flights to Egypt as soon as they were announced.
The Egyptian ambassador stressed the importance of promoting this new route well so that it does not stop as happened before. In this regard, the company official confirmed that they carefully study the requirements of the markets they decide to work in, adding that she had come to Baku twice before specifically to hold meetings with Azerbaijani companies and had spoken to them at length about her impressions of Egypt and her great love for it.
In a related context, Al-Mashat reviewed a number of important projects Egypt will witness, most notably the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in 2020, which will house 100,000 artifacts and will display for the first time the complete collection of King Tutankhamun's possessions, numbering 5,000 artifacts, explaining that promoting the opening of the Grand Museum is one of the main pillars of the promotion and marketing axis. The minister also noted that the proximity of Sphinx Airport, which was recently opened on a trial basis, to the Grand Museum and the Giza Pyramids area will give tourists the opportunity to combine beach and cultural tourism, pointing out that the airport is currently ready to receive international and domestic flights.
She said other museums are scheduled to open in the coming period, such as the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, which will house many artifacts.
Asked whether prices at the Egyptian destination suit Azerbaijani tourists, the minister explained that operating flights from Baku to Cairo and Sharm El-Sheikh will bring Egypt closer for Azerbaijani tourists, adding that Egypt is distinguished by the diversity of its tourism products, which suit all segments of tourists with their different spending rates.
The minister also stressed the political and security stability Egypt enjoys and the Egyptian government's keenness to invest in security, noting that Egypt received the "International Leadership in Tourism" award from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) in recognition of Egypt's efforts to strengthen the tourism sector to be more resilient and able to withstand shocks, and pointing out that the noticeable increase in the tourism sector confirms the safety and security of the Egyptian tourist destination.
During the conference, the new promotional film about Egypt launched by the Ministry of Tourism at the start of last Ramadan was screened.
