Tourism
From The Report: Egypt 2013
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It has been a difficult few years for Egypt’s economically vital tourism sector, in the wake of the 2011 revolution and with civil unrest continuing to occur in the summer of 2013. However, the country still managed to attract millions of foreign visitors, even discounting the number of arrivals who were not tourists per se. However, 2013 may prove tough. The disturbances earlier in the year, and the removal of the Freedom and Justice party-led government of Mohammed Morsi and its aftermath, are not good advertisements, even if the vast majority of foreign visitors remain unaffected. But Egypt’s ability to bounce back strongly from setbacks is well documented, and this should be the case again. The country has ample competitive advantages – its long coastline, the Red Sea, thousands of historical sites, welcoming people and a centuries-old reputation as a choice destination.

This chapter contains interviews with ElHamy ElZayat, Chairman, Egyptian Tourism Federation; and Richard Solomons, Chief Executive, Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG).

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Past, present and future: The sector is again demonstrating its resilience in turbulent times
OBG
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It has been a difficult few years for Egypt’s economically vital tourism sector, in the wake of the 2011 revolution and with civil unrest continuing to occur in the summer of 2013. Visitor numbers and revenues recovered in 2012, indicating that the industry has impressive capacity to bounce back from setbacks, as it has many times previously. Renewed instability in 2013 and the replacement of the Freedom and Justice party-led government in July have not helped, although very few tourists have…

Interview

OBG talks to ElHamy ElZayat, Chairman, Egyptian Tourism Federation
OBG
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Interview:ElHamy ElZayat In which sub-segments and from which markets have you seen the biggest drops? ELHAMY ELZAYAT: The most affected areas have been the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions segment and cultural tourism in Cairo. Before the revolution total daily revenue generated by cultural tourism in Cairo for the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquity was over LE1m ($155,600). Now this figure has dropped to LE70,000-80,000 ($10,892-12,448), which shows the extent of the challenges…

Interview

OBG talks to Richard Solomons, Chief Executive, Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG)
OBG
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Interview:Richard Solomons What role are emerging markets playing in terms of global revenues for the hotel industry? RICHARD SOLOMONS: The global hotel industry continues to see significant growth in emerging markets such as China and India, both in terms of outbound and domestic travel. This is a trend that is set to continue. From IHG’s perspective, emerging markets equate to 19% of our existing hotel system and 50% of our pipeline of hotels, and in 2012 a quarter of our openings took…

Analysis

First resort: Visitor numbers are recovering but remain below 2010 levels
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The coastal resorts of Egypt have generally weathered the turbulence of the past few years better than Cairo and Nile Valley destinations, such as Luxor and Aswan. Resorts, particularly on the Red Sea, have thus helped the tourism sector through a difficult period, as the majority of foreign visitors to the country still come for leisure purposes, with the resorts their main destination. Furthermore, despite the political turbulence, middle-class and affluent Egyptians continue to flock to the…