WHILE thousands of first-time visitors to Egypt take a Nile cruise, operators stress that the country has much more to offer the repeat client.
Bales tailor-made group manager Chris Grime said: “People rarely find that one visit to Egypt is enough as there is so much to see. Some specialist groups go every year, but we find that most clients will go two or three times over 10 years.”
“A lot of people just do a Nile cruise, which takes in Luxor and Karnak in Upper Egypt. It means they miss out on the Giza Pyramids – the single most powerful image of Egypt – and Cairo, which is a very exciting city. Cairo’s markets are brilliant, Khan El Khalili is one of the oldest markets in the world. You could spend the whole day there,” he added.
Somak Holidays managing director Stuart Britton said: “People start off with a cheap charter flight product the first time, then get hooked on Egyptology. Second-time visitors like to go to Cairo to see the Egyptian Museum, with the Tutankhamun exhibition. There is so much in it you could spend weeks there.”
Although tourist arrivals haven’t yet reached the levels prior to the massacre of tourists at Luxor in 1997, they are steadily rising, and second or third-time visitors are playing a large part in the country’s tourism revival.
Goldenjoy marketing director Amal Tantaway said that up to 30% of the company’s business is from second-time visitors.
“It’s staggering.The majority of our visitors go back. Many repeat the same Nile cruise – there is a lot to take in the first time round, so the second time they can take it at their own pace.
She added: “Others visit the Red Sea resorts for a beach or diving holiday and do day trips to St Catherine’s monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai, where Moses is said to have received the 10 commandments.
“There is also St Anthony’s monastery, the oldest in the world, 3hrs from Hurghada.”
Other options are available to the north and west of Cairo. Bales, Cox and Kings and Goldenjoy can tailor-make itineraries that take in the ancient city of Alexandria on the Mediterranean coast, founded by Alexander the Great.
The city is worth visiting for its Roman catacombs and archaeological museum, added to which relics from Nelson’s and Napoleon’s fleets, are constantly being discovered at sea.
Just a short drive away from Alexandria is El Alamein, the scene of the Allied victory in World War Two. Three massive war cemeteries stand as eerie testimony to the past and war veterans are often interested in going back, according to Bales’ Grime.
On into the desert, near the Libyan border, is the isolated town of Siwa – an oasis surrounded by 300,000 palm trees. “With the ancient mud-brick city, the hot springs, the Berber-based language and local costume, it’s a fascinating place to spend a few days,” said Grime.
Added to which, new archaeological sites are constantly being discovered, while a steady stream of restored tombs are reopened to the public.
Cox and Kings’ Middle East product manager Hugh Fraser said:”Tombs are opening up the whole time. On one trip you can get archaeological fatigue, so it is good to go back with fresh eyes. There’s always something to entice people back.”
Bahariyya and Khafaga Oases in the Western Desert could soon be on the tourist map after the recent announcement that hundreds of new tombs have been found there.
And, deep in the desert to the south of Cairo, pyramids at Abu Seer and Dah Shur opened to visitors a year ago.
n kuoni adds red sea resort to worldwide 2000 brochure
Kuoni has introduced a new Red Sea resort, El Gouna, into its first-edition 2000 Worldwide brochure. Set on several islands around lagoons, El Gouna has a variety of facilities and activities. The operator features three hotels: the Sheraton Miramar, the Sultan Bey Swiss Inn and the El Gouna Movenpick Resort. Prices for seven nights’ half-board in January 2000 lead in at £619, £545 and £599 respectively, including flights with Egyptair.
n somak to combine tanzania with egypt tour from october
Somak has introduced a new option from October 1999 combining a tour of Egypt with a tour of Tanzania in a 14-night trip. Clients visit thePyramids, Sphinx and the Egyptian Museum before cruising on the Nile in Upper Egypt. The second half of the package is a Serengeti Safari in northern Tanzania. Prices forOctober 1999 lead in at £1,919 per person based on two people sharing accommodation. Flights are from Heathrow with Egyptair.
n thomson holidays offers new nile and red sea option
Thomson Holidays now offers clients the chance to combine a Nile cruise with a break in a Red Sea resort. In the company’s second-edition brochure 1999, a seven-night cruise with full board and a seven-night stay with bed and breakfast at theMovenpick resort in El Quseir costs from £739 per person. The price includes flights from Gatwick orManchester to Luxor with Britannia.
n cosmos adds new boat to expanded cruise programme
Cosmos has expanded its Nile cruiseprogramme with the introduction of a new boat, the four-star 70-berth Flash One, from November 1999. Cruises are all-inclusive, offering clients all drinks on board, meals, accommodation and excursions. Prices start from £439 per person for seven nights, including flightsto Luxor.
n A&K aims to introduce new cairo hotel for 2000
Abercrombie and Kent plans tointroduce the new 273-bedroom Four Seasons hotel in Cairo for 2000. Due to open during the first quarter of next year on the west bank of the Nile, it will offer views of Cairo’szoological gardens and the pyramids.