Cresta adds Egypt to Worldwide programme

Tailor-made breaks

Cresta adds Egypt to Worldwide programme

Report by STEVEJONES

CRESTA has introduced tailor-made holidays to Egypt in its 2001 Worldwide brochure to tap into the growing interest in the region.

It has dedicated 10 pages to the destination, which Worldwide product manager Herc Zeris said builds on the success of Dubai and Jordan.

Cresta is hoping the destination will help boost sales from 10,000 to 15,000 next year.

“This is our third year and you have to build relatively slowly which is why Egypt has not featured before,” he said. “But travellers are now confident in Egypt as a holiday destination. Dubai and Jordan have also proved successful for us and we needed another mid-haul year-round destination to offer to this market.”

Egypt prices lead in at £469 per person for seven nights at the four-star Jolie Ville Movenpick Luxor.

Other new product includes beach holidays at Kuantan on the east coast of Malaysia, eco-tourism in Borneo and spa breaks around the Dead Sea in Jordan. Royal Clipper Cruises in the Caribbean are also new.

Zeris said the brochure also includes more four and five-star hotels to reflect demand for upmarket properties.

“We have dropped a number of three-star properties which had excellent prices but did not sell particularly well,” he said. “The upmarket category is an area which we predict substantial growth over the coming few years.”

Prices have risen by around 3% to 4%, largely due to the strength of the dollar.

“We bought ahead when the exchange rates were not so low,” said Zeris. “But it will still have an impact.”

Hot tickets: launching the brochure, from left, are managing director David Cockerton, Disney travel industry sales and marketing manager Kevin Brett and Disney key account manager Helen Fitch