The Egyptian tourism sector, which has been extremely negatively affected by the Middle East conflict, which is literally on the border, is looking for a way out of the situation. High-ranking officials, starting with the Minister of Tourism, went to the main markets in search of tourists. The Minister of Tourism was the first to visit such an important and “nervous” market as Germany in terms of tourists’ reaction to conflicts. They intend to appease the Germans and attract them with additional bonuses.
The main problem of Egypt, as commentators note, is that the distance between Hurghada and the Gaza Strip is as much as 600 kilometers. Frightened tourists began to refuse tours to Egypt. As the Minister of Tourism of Egypt, Ahmed Isa, who went to Germany to hold negotiations with the German tourism sector, said, Egypt intends to support tour operators in this country and “share the risks with its partners.”
At the same time, the minister’s report, according to Egyptian traditions, is optimistic. He stated that the number of cancellations has not increased and the number of bookings has started to recover. “80% of Germans who come to Egypt go to the Hurghada area, which is 600 kilometers from Gaza. Marsa Alam is even further away. There is only Sharm el-Sheikh on the Sinai Peninsula, but it is not so important for the German market,” the minister added. He also announced a “helpful advertising campaign” “to show vacationers that Egypt is beautiful and safe.”
The minister also added that Egypt will continue to support tourism in Sharm el-Sheikh. The subsidy for each flight in November and December was increased by $500, in addition, as part of the support that the country provides to airlines, Egypt will reduce the requirement to fill flights to 60%.
Isa also said that his department is negotiating with German tour operators about advertising support to cover half of their costs. The ministry will also invest in press tours. “We also want to show travel agencies that everything is continuing normally at the resorts. For example, Alltours will organize a big promotional trip in December,” he said.