| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 21/08/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 25 |
| Copyright: Other |
Popularity of Nile cruises hits high as Egypt bookings soar
NILE cruise trips have soared by 360% this year due to a resurgence in bookings to Egypt, according to British Airways Holidays.Egypt’s river cruise business was severely damaged by the massacre in Luxor in 1997 but the destination seems to have staged a recovery since the incident. BAH said 55% of its overall customers to Egypt book a river cruise as part of their trip but it declined to reveal the exact figures.
Its most popular cruise itinerary is a seven-night trip between Luxor and Aswan on the five-star ship Ra II, which costs from £605 per person including flights and meals on board. The company also operates a four-night cruise across Lake Nasser, which starts at £989 per person including flights and a three-night stay in Cairo.
BAH plans to increase capacity to Egypt by taking an allocation of 30 seats a week on an Air 2000 charter from Gatwick to Luxor from November. Product manager Carol Miles said: “A charter was necessary to enable us to keep up with demand into Luxor. Egypt has well and truly made a comeback.”