Discover Egypt’s sales via agents have risen by 27% year on year, thanks to extra flights and growing demand for the destination.
The Egypt specialist works with 3,000 agents, offering packages along with opportunities to add commissionable excursions in Cairo, Luxor and Aswan. About 87% of its sales come through the trade.
Philip Breckner, Discover Egypt director, said the ability to book commissionable excursions “resonates strongly” with agents and is a “real differentiator” in the market.
“This year, we’ve seen remarkable support from the trade, driven by the growing demand for holidays to Egypt and the flexibility we offer agents to earn on commissionable extras, something many other operators don’t provide,” he said.
“The increasing number of repeat bookings through agents is a testament to the trust and satisfaction our holidays and excursions consistently deliver.”
He said there has been “a really healthy increase” in sales from the north of England, thanks to an Egyptair service from Manchester to Cairo, which began as five-times-a-week last year and is now daily.
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Breckner also welcomed Egyptair’s announcement of a morning service offering direct Heathrow-Cairo flights, starting this December, complementing existing afternoon departures.
He added: “Additional flight options are a game-changer for Egypt’s tourism sector, allowing agents to sell holidays with even more convenience and flexibility.
“The new morning flight from Heathrow to Cairo, alongside the existing afternoon service and direct flights from Manchester and Dublin, offers travellers greater flexibility.
“These flights not only make it more convenient to travel to Cairo, with the London-Cairo route less than five hours’ flying time, but they open up the rest of Egypt with onward links to Luxor, Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada and Marsa Alam.
“Demand for holidays to Egypt is surging, especially for Nile cruises, and we expect this to carry on through 2025.”
Breckner also noted positive predictions from Egypt’s tourism minister Sherif Fathy during World Travel Market London earlier this month.
Fathy projected a 5% year-on-year increase in tourist arrivals by the end of 2024, thanks to “strategic efforts to enhance Egypt’s appeal as a global destination”.
The minister described the British market as one of Egypt’s most crucial tourism sources, with 77 flights arriving weekly from various British cities.
Pictured from left: Philip Breckner, Discover Egypt, and Ingy Nabil, Egyptair’s regional manager for the UK.