Egypt charms staycationers, tourists, reopens meetings, exhibitions

President of the Tourism and Aviation Committee of the Egyptian junior business association and CEO Egyliere Travel Mohamed Kaoud said the global tourism industry is one of the hardest-hit industries with regards to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The European Commission organized a meeting primarily targeted at exploring paths out of the challenges of coronavirus and chances of gaining a sustainable recovery of tourism hit majorly by the virus.

Kaoud says Egypt is following the EU path and advancing safety measures as the second wave of the virus is expected to attack. The private sector and the authorities are constantly monitoring the virus behavior and people movement in order to take adequate steps to control virus spread.  

“The Prime Minister of Egypt has earlier this month approved the commencement of Meeting & Exhibitions. The Ministry of Health & Ministry of Tourism have implemented a contingency plan to handle new virus threats and we have seen those measures in Egypt International Exhibition Center and El Gouna Film Festival.” 

“Since the pandemic started this year, out of the 1.2 billion passengers who travelled with airlines, so far only 44 Coronavirus infection cases have been registered during in-flights, as per the recent report of the International Air Transport Association,” said he. 

“There are challenges and opportunities and we should continuously act to overcome those challenges simultaneously and seizing the opportunities.”

EU countries are looking for close countries for holidays and Egypt is a couple of hours to most EU cities. Flights and accessibility are key to drive tourists to Egypt in 2020 and 2021. 

China has about 800 million people in 22 provinces that have been free from infections and Egypt must try to attract this market. One percent of this number is good enough for Tourism and Hospitality industries. 

President of the Tourism and Aviation Committee of the Egyptian Junior Business Association (EJB),  said Egypt must benefit from the upcoming International Tourism Virtual Exhibitions that play a critical role in tourism recovery. Egypt Tourism Promotion Board should facilitate the participation of all the main players of the tourism industry to boost tourism recovery and flourish the economy. Our presentation should aim to recover tourism and focus on new discoveries optimization, enriching specialised content, new business niches as well as promoting 2021 tourism agenda. 

The UAE and Israel have established a partnership in the areas of major conferences and exhibitions and broader trade development with the signing of an agreement between the Dubai World Trade Centre and Israel Export Institute. As part of the agreement, the two organisations will work jointly to facilitate the participation of Israeli exhibitors in large-scale exhibitions in the UAE by the end of the year. The commercial potential of agreements between the UAE and Israel is estimated at $500 million per annum across several key sectors. Egypt International Exhibition Center should explore mutual cooperation with them on the region's international conferences and exhibitions agenda. 

Besides, Expo 2020 Dubai opens on 1st of October 2021, organisers are committed to convening the global community in a spirit of collaboration and innovation to build a strong, sustainable future for everyone. The first World Expo in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region runs from 1 October 2021 until 31 March 2022 and will bring together more than 190 countries to explore new ideas, form new connections and collectively tackle some of the greatest global challenges of our time. Egypt participation and conveying its 2030 national plan is a great opportunity for its sustainable development and growth across several industries. 

Dubai has launched an international marketing campaign set to bring an influx of curious travellers to the emirate. The Live Your Story campaign showcases the diversity of Dubai’s tourism sector, from its soaring skyscrapers and modern hotels to its cultural districts and traditional activities. Unlike previous campaigns, Live Your Story focuses on personalised travel experiences which have soared in popularity post-pandemic. The campaign will be made available in 20 languages via multiple platforms and across key source markets that have reopened borders. 

Egypt shall adopt similar approaches and implement marketing strategies that cope with the current perception and needs. In addition, the Egyptian government has extended a number of its policies and incentives devised to help. The government is waiving visa fees until April 30 next year for tourists visiting South Sinai, the Red Sea, Luxor and Aswan. For hotels and other tourism businesses, fees, electricity, water and gas bills will be put on hold until December 31 this year. Additionally, all debts owed by companies in the sector will be rescheduled, with no repayments due until January 1, 2021.