50 | EGYPT WORDS | Amit Katwala
he turbulent events of the last few months have shocked the world. There have been popular uprisings throughout the Middle East, with violence and deaths in many countries. And although Egypt’s handover
Egyptian renaissance T
Buechy told OPP: “I am certain Egypt and Tunisia will recover quickly and reclaim their place on the tourism map. Many Germans have sympathy with the peaceful uprisings.” As more and more governments
to democracy has been relatively peaceful so far, talk of riots and the army moving in is never good news for the tourism and property industry. However, things are already
starting to show signs of a marked improvement according to some leading observers. German travel association DRV, for instance, says that tourists are quickly returning to Egypt. The president of the DRV,
Juergen Buechy, said bookings were signifi cantly improving after a short- term effect caused by the uprisings. As
around the world lift their travel restriction advice for tourists visiting Egypt, Orbit Alliance, the exclusive selling agent for Orbit Group investments, has been surveying activity on the ground and can see “strong signs that the tourism dip is only short lived and that it will instantaneously recover, without the need to devalue holiday prices or hotel resorts.” Speaking exclusively to OPP, Orbit
Alliance marketing director Barry Clark said that Orbit has surveyed all of the leading hotels in Hurghada and “having spoken to the front desk
managers and checked their occupancy rates, the Steigenberger, the Hilton, the Intercontinental & Grand Plaza are all achieving occupancy rates of 12% to 18%.”
These hotels are “adjacent to Orbit’s Samra Bay Marina & Spa Resort within the Golden Mile,” says Clark. And the “Serenity Hotel, which is part of the Orbit Group, also has a pre- booked occupancy rate of 14% and is selling well. By the end of the month it should be much higher.” All of the hotels in the area are experiencing a 14% occupancy rate today, up from just 8% in mid February. They all sense business levels returning. The company has also undertaken a survey of Egypt’s current economic situation and the outlook for overseas property sales and it is feeling confi dent that the outlook is good.
HOTEL REPORT
www.opp.org.uk | APRIL 2011
The future of Egypt’s tourism and property sector was thrown into doubt by the revolution earlier this year. Three months on, Amit Katwala looks at how the political upheaval has affected the hotel and hospitality business in the Red Sea resorts of Sharm-el-Sheikh and Hurghada, and what is in store for the future…
Elsewhere, offi cials at the Egypt Tourist Authority (ETA) are also predicting a quick recovery. ElSayed Khalifa, ETA consul- director in New York, has said that even though there had been a “mass departure of tourists” in recent weeks, the situation would be quickly reversed. “Looking back to previous crises that hit this industry in the last decade, one can tell that the current crisis, despite all its negative effects on our business, will be and should be the fastest to fade and the least harmful of all,” he said. And, with regard to the political situation, Khalifa added “a dialogue is going on between various political
“A consensus is evolving that will make Egypt stronger and more appealing to travellers.”
forces and the government, and it is evolving towards a national consensus that will make Egypt come out of the crisis stronger and more appealing to international travellers.”
In 2010, tourism revenue in Egypt exceeded $11 billion, and Egypt’s tourism industry employed about two million Egyptians, according to the tourist authority. However, although there may
have been an increase in bookings from north European countries like Germany, and a relatively good level of hotel occupancy, some people are not seeing tourists on the ground, and expect it to be a while before sales return.
Egyptian resorts | like Sharm-el-Sheikh have been a world away from the violence and protest on the streets of the big cities
Peter Mitry of
Egypt-Real.com told OPP: “We’re still waiting for all the tourists to come back. We’ve got some people coming in the next week, but the last two or three weeks have been dead, just the locals. We’re expecting to see a real increase in April and May when the
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