| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 17/07/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 46 |
| Copyright: Other |
Special interests
Adventure playground targets niche market
Activities broaden destination’s appeal
With booming tourism to the traditional resorts of Cairo, Luxor and the Red Sea, the Egyptian State Tourist Office is broadening its remit to target niche visitor markets.Golf, adventure and conference tourism in particular have been earmarked as potential growth areas and operators are beginning to respond by extending the product their programmes.
It is hoped the establishment of a more diverse market will attract both repeat visitors and those seeking a Middle Eastern holiday with a difference.
Adventure
Ever since the earliest explorers uncovered ancient tombs in the desert, adventure has always featured heavily in Egypt.
Most activities take place around the Sinai and Red Sea area and can be explored via a camel or donkey, or on foot with walks through the desert and up Mount Sinai itself.
According to The Imaginative Traveller managing director Martin Dunn, Egypt has it all. “It has beaches, good weather and some superb off-the-beaten-track opportunities for those who want to combine it all with some activity,” he said.
The operator has introduced a Sailtrek and Sinai option from Cairo in November, combining ancient Egypt with an optional climb up Mount Sinai and a camel trek, plus a cruise on a traditional felucca. The 15-night tour costs £495with transport and accommodation.
Walks Worldwide has seen an increase in business since its first brochure appeared in September 1998.
General manager Mike Wynne said: “Interest in Egypt is on the increase.”
It sells a 15-day trekking holiday with a Bedu guide leading the walk across the desert taking in canyons, fresh-water springs and a climb to the summit of Mount Sinai. The tour leads at £995 per person with flights, all transport, accommodation, meals and a Cairo sightseeing tour.
Conferences
Egypt currently has two dedicated conference venues, the 5,000-capacity Cairo International Conference Centre and the Alexandria Conference Centre which holds 3,500.
The fact Egypt is one of the favourites for the ABTA conference in 2002 is proof the country has the infrastructure to cope with large-scale events.
Indeed Egypt boasts 35 major international hotels with conference facilities, 18 of which are in Cairo including The Nile Hilton, The Mena House Oberoi, The Cairo Marriott Hotel and the Four Seasons Cairo which opened in May.
Luxor, Hurghada, Aswan and Alexandria each boast four properties suitable for the corporate market.
Some of these sights will be featured in a new conference and incentive programme due to be launched in a brochure form by tailor-made specialist Bales Worldwide in August.
Business development manager Chris Grime said: “We want to be a travel specialist that organises conferences rather than a conference organiser that offers the odd excursion. We will offer everything from small meetings to full-scale conferences.”
Grime said any packages would be tailor made but four nights in a top quality hotel, return flights, conference or meeting arrangements and basic sightseeing and guided tours would cost from around £500 per person.
Add-ons are available and include cruises on the Nile, balloon flights over the West Bank and stays in bedouin tents in fact, anything that offers a flavour of the Middle East.
“We are looking to deliver a better quality product that gives people an impression not only of the conference but also of the country they have been to. It’s something a little bit more, not just a business but a personal experience as well,” said Grime.
In the swing: golfing in Egypt offers unique sights
On the trail: trekking holidays across the desert with a Bedu guide is just one of the manyadventure options Egypt is looking to promote
Golf
Golfing may not be the first thing clients think about when considering a holiday to Egypt, but those who do play the fairways around Cairo have some stunning views of the Pyramids.
Longshot Golf Holidays has capitalised on the unique sights, warm weather and culture the country has to offer by introducing Egypt to its brochure. It sees the introduction of six 18-hole courses in Luxor, Cairo and El Gouna, all created by top designers such as Gary Player and Karl Litten.
Product manager Sean Noble said the golf courses rival those of Dubai, where the international golf market is well established.
Seven nights’ half-board at the Paradisio Hotel in El Gouna costs from £729. The price includes five rounds of golf – three rounds at El Gouna Golf Course and two rounds at the Cascades Golf Course at Soma Bay.