Category: TOURISM

News about tourism in Greece, Egypt and Cyprus

World Travel Market: Tourism in Egypt, Greece, Turkey ‘Getting Back on Track’

Tourism “could be getting back on track” in Egypt, Turkey and Greece, according to an industry report released by the World Travel Market on Monday.

“After a difficult couple of years, the signs are that Egypt, Greece and Turkey are back on the agenda, while Tunisia is starting to turn the corner,” said Simon Press, the Senior Director of World Travel Market. “The WTM Industry Report talks to people who have the power to sign deals and the high proportion of potential buyers interested in having conversations with suppliers from these destinations is a great positive.”

The report is based on a poll that included input from 2,000 buyers at the World Travel Market, which kicked off in London on Monday.

According to the report, more than half the buyers at the market said they were looking to discuss deals with Egyptian, Turkish and Greek suppliers.

However, Egypt seemed to be the least popular among the three, “with 37% of the total sample looking to talk to Greek businesses, 29% looking to talk to Turkish suppliers and 17% heading toward the Egypt stands.”

Egyptian tourism minister Yehia Rashid traveled to London on Monday to attend the World Travel Market and promote tourism in Egypt through the “This is Egypt” campaign.

Egypt’s tourism industry, once the flagship of the economy and the second most important earner of hard currency, has been struggling greatly since the 2011 uprising that ousted longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak from power.

Several incidents, including the accidental killing of eight Mexican tourists and the downing of a Russian passenger plane last year, in addition to the brutal murder of Italian PhD student Giulio Regeni in January, have taken their toll on the country’s tourism flow.

More than 14.7 million tourists traveled to Egypt in 2010, with that number falling to 9.8 million in 2011. Tourist arrivals have largely failed to pick up during the course of 2016; according to statistics from the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), the number of tourists traveling to Egypt in June dropped by nearly 60 percent year-on-year to reach a meager 320,000.

According to a report from Egypt’s Ministry of Planning, the tourism trade in the country shrank by 34 percent during the first nine months of the 2015/2016 fiscal year.

The falling tourism revenues have been amplified by the dwindling foreign currency reserves that negatively affected the budget deficit.

However, some hope that the recent steps taken by Egyptian authorities, including the Central Bank of Egypt’s surprise move to devalue the Egyptian pound and the expected USD 12 million loan from the International Monetary Fund, will help set the country on the right track and bring back foreign investments and tourists.

Despite Egypt’s dwindling tourism revenues, which have played a part in triggering the country’s ongoing foreign currency crisis, Egypt aims to attract 12 million tourists by the end of 2017 by way of implementing an ambitious six-point plan, which will include increasing the presence of the national airline EgyptAir abroad, cooperating with low-cost airlines and improving services.

(egyptianstreets.com)

November 14, 2016
Egypt Tourism ‘Will Recover,’ Return to Pre-2011 Levels Next Year: World Travel Council Official

Egyptian tourism will “return rapidly” to its pre-2011 levels by early 2017, World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTO) chairman David Scowsill said during the fifth Global Summit on City Tourism, held in Luxor.

According to privately-owned El-Watan newspaper, Scowsill praised the newly imposed security measures at Egypt’s airports and said he would report what he has witnessed in that regard to British travel agencies. The chairman also said he will visit the Red Sea resort town of Sharm El Sheikh soon to encourage the resumption of flights.

Earlier this week, the 104th meeting of the Executive Council of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) kicked off in Luxor, one of Egypt’s foremost tourist destinations.

“Egypt is a worldwide leader in tourism and will continue to be so. The high level of attendance at this meeting is a confirmation of the confidence of the international tourism community in Egypt. Supporting tourism to Egypt is supporting its future and that of the Egyptian people,” UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai said at the meeting.

The country’s tourism industry, once the flagship of the economy and the second most important earner of hard currency, has been struggling greatly since the 2011 uprising that ousted longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak from power.

Several incidents, including the accidental killing of eight Mexican tourists and the downing of a Russian passenger plane last year, in addition to the brutal murder of Italian PhD student Giulio Regeni in January, have taken their toll on the country’s tourism flow.

More than 14.7 million tourists traveled to Egypt in 2010, with that number falling to 9.8 million in 2011. Tourist arrivals have largely failed to pick up during the course of 2016; according to statistics from the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), the number of tourists traveling to Egypt in June dropped by nearly 60 percent year-on-year to reach a meager 320,000.

According to a report from Egypt’s Ministry of Planning, the tourism trade in the country shrank by 34 percent during the first nine months of the 2015/2016 fiscal year.

The falling tourism revenues have been amplified by the dwindling foreign currency reserves that negatively affected the budget deficit.

However, some hope that the recent steps taken by Egyptian authorities, including the Central Bank of Egypt’s surprise move to devalue the Egyptian pound and the expected USD 12 million loan from the International Monetary Fund, will help set the country on the right track and bring back foreign investments and tourists.

Despite Egypt’s dwindling tourism revenues, which have played a part in triggering the country’s ongoing foreign currency crisis, Egypt aims to attract 12 million tourists by the end of 2017 by way of implementing an ambitious six-point plan, which will include increasing the presence of the national airline EgyptAir abroad, cooperating with low-cost airlines and improving services.

(egyptianstreets.com)

November 10, 2016
Greece earns third place worldwide in Blue Flag certification

Greece has earned fourth place in Europe with regard to the quality of its bathing waters for this year, according to data published by the European Environment Agency on Tuesday. The report noted that 97.2 percent of areas inspected were deemed to be outstanding.

The organization also announced that the country was positioned third worldwide in terms of Blue Flag certification, with 430 beaches and 9 marinas for 2016.

The agency’s annual report evaluates the quality of the water from last year and highlights areas where this is expected to be maintained in the current year.

Over 1,500 bathing areas, including beaches, lakes and rivers, were inspected last year, out of which 1,499 were defined as top quality spots for swimming, the report said.

(www.ekathimerini.com)

May 31, 2016
Cobalt to fly from June

Larnaca-based low-cost carrier Cobalt is all set to stretch its wings on June 1 starting with flights to Greece and the UK.
Chairman Gregory Diacou said after Cobalt was issued its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) on Wednesday: “Today marks the renaissance of the Cypriot aviation industry”.
He added: “We are proud to play our part in Cyprus’ long aviation heritage.
“The thousands of messages of support that we have received during the recent weeks from Cypriots here and abroad proves that there is tremendous enthusiasm backing Cobalt as the country’s new national carrier.”
The Civil Aviation Authority issued Cobalt’s AOC after successfully completing a test flight from Larnaca to Heraklion carried out with its first Cyprus-registered Airbus A320.
Cobalt is scheduling the launch of operations to Athens on June 1, with flights to the UK and other European destinations starting later on that month.
At the same time, he highlighted the fact that, by the end of June, Cobalt will add another three aircraft to its fleet, raising the total number to four.
The chairman stressed that the company also plans to launch operations to non-European destinations, such as Israel, Lebanon, Russia, Iran and Egypt in the very near future.
“Since the demise of Cyprus Airways, our national air traffic rights to these countries have been lying dormant,” Diacou said.
“These are significant economic assets that we must now utilise in order to support the development of the Cypriot tourist industry and the broader economy.”
Diacou also said that, prior to their first official flight, they have generated more than 100 new jobs locally and that hundreds more will follow.
“Furthermore, we very much appreciate the professionalism of the Cypriot civil aviation authorities in handling the AOC process so effectively and thank them for their support.”

(in-cyprus.com)

May 31, 2016