Peltours took 10 independent agents on a three-night fam trip to Cairo and the new resort of Ain Soukhna, which it is featuring for the first time in 2008.
Four of them joined a round-table debate on the destination.
The panel
- Shelagh Tulip, sales consultant, Bath Travel, Eastleigh
- Cherryll Topham, personal travel adviser, Qwik Travel, East Grinstead
- Sonia Karadag, assistant manager, Wallace Arnold Worldchoice, Croydon
- Julia Smith, senior sales consultant, Tana Travel, Stratford
Do you think it is feasible to sell Cairo and the Red Sea resort of Ain Soukhna as a short-break package?
Tulip: It is perfect – you can spend a couple of days viewing the sites and exploring Ain Soukhna, and at about an hour and a half’s drive from Cairo, it’s easy to get to.
Topham: It is perfect for Cairo and the beach, especially since you don’t have to fly to get to the resort. Being able to see Cairo and the Pyramids is so exhilarating and then you can go to the resort to relax and recharge.
Karadag: Doing a trip like this is entirely different from going to Sharm el-Sheikh or Hurghada. This sort of package would appeal to people who want a short break in the sun.
Smith: If your customers want culture as well as beaches then it is a good mix.
Topham: The beach at Ain Soukhna is ideal for families as the sea is so shallow. You can walk for miles before it gets deep. However, to ensure you get
the best experience of the two destinations you would need to spend two nights in Cairo and two nights in resort.
What can Egyptian suppliers do to appeal more to the UK market?
Tulip: They really need to focus on service. Every time a client visits a four or five-star hotel they are looking for service that is second to none. Suppliers should focus on the finer details.
Karadag: The safety aspect is also good – I don’t think the Egyptian tourist board promotes this enough, but the country is certainly safe to visit.
Tulip: I agree, I like the idea of having your bag checked when you go into a hotel [bags are X-rayed on entry] although I don’t like seeing the cars being checked.
Topham: The only problem is too much promotion can backfire within the UK market. The more marketing says something is safe, the more UK customers can end up thinking the opposite is true.
What other aspects make Egypt popular?
Tulip: Nile cruising is proving particularly popular as people love the idea that they’re waking up every day in a different destination on the Nile.
Topham: You can visit some amazing sites such as Luxor that you won’t see on any other cruise in the world. It is also a pretty easy sell as cruising in the UK has really taken off.
Smith: Lake Nasser cruises are also proving popular with my customers as it is such a beautiful location. I think it works best if you treat a Lake Nasser cruise as one for people that have been on a cruise before and now want something a bit different.
Would you ever dynamically package Egypt?
Topham: I have never done so and I will never dynamically package Egypt or the Middle East. It is such a sensitive area culturally and the only way you could ensure your customer has the right itinerary would be to heavily specialise in the area.
There are good operators that have been working in the area for a long time and they can deal with any awkward situation that may arise far more easily than I could.
For instance, I had a client go to Egypt who ended up needing emergency medical treatment in Israel. I don’t think you could organise that as a dynamic packaging agent.
Karadag: To get the most out of a trip, a lot of customers visiting Egypt want a guide – you simply can’t organise that without a lot of knowledge. If you got it wrong, customers would have a dreadful experience and that would only reflect badly on you.
