Reservations made by families and individuals in hotels in Alexandria, Sharm El-Sheikh, Ain Sokhna, and the North Coast, have increased over the current week due to the Eid Al-Fitr holidays.
According to Wassim Mohey El-Din, formerchairman of the Chamber of Hotels, occupancies in Alexandria will increase to 100% during the Eid holidays. He added that hotel occupancies on the North Coast will increase to 90% and in Ain Sokhna to 100%.
Alexandria, the North Coast, and Ain Sokhna have the most occupancies, according to Mohey El-Din, as they benefit from the transportation networks in Alexandria and Hurghada and other benefits along the North Coast, such as the quiet.
As for Sharm El-Sheikh, head of the Tourism Investors Association in South Sinai, Hesham Ali, said occupancies are currently between 40% and 45%. They are expected to reach 70% over the next three days, with the flow of Egyptian families to the city.
Sharm El-Sheikh contains 30,000 hotel rooms from a total of 62,000 rooms in the governorate of South Sinai, according to Chamber of Hotels.
According to Ali, occupancies will rise for five days and then fall again as Egyptians return to their work.
He added, however, that with the end of Ramadan, the flow of Egyptians to coastal areas will increase, but occupancies after the Eid holiday are expected to reach 55%, rather than 70%.
Mohey El-Din agrees with Ali that the end of Ramadan will encourage Egyptian families to visit beaches, especially Alexandria, which is one of the cheapest places compared to other areas.
The room price ranges from EGP 800 to EGP 1,500 in Alexandria during the Eid holiday, Mohey El-Din added, and these prices will stabilise at this rate in summer.
Mohey El-Din does not expect any decline in occupancies of Alexandria, Ain Sokhna, or North Coast hotels after Eid, compared to Sharm El-Sheikh.
At this time of the year, occupancies usually rise in the North Coast, according to a member of the Chamber of Hotels, who expressed his expectations for a great season for hotels.
The summer season is the main season for hotels along the North Coast, and Egyptians represent a significant number of visitors, in addition to Italians.
Chairman of the Tourism Investors Association in Marsa Alam Adel Rady said that occupancy rates differ from one city to another, and Hurghada is foremost amongst the occupancy rates.
Rady attributed this to the relative closeness of Hurghada to Cairo compared to Marsa Alam, alongside the low flight ticket prices.
He said: “We filed a request to the government to lower flight ticket prices for Egyptians to Marsa Alam, where hotels can benefit from the season and raise occupancy.”
The flight ticket price to Marsa Alam is EGP 2,000 per person, which limits Egyptians’ ability to spend holidays in the region, according to Rady.
Contrary to occupancy growth in the coastal areas, occupancy rates in Greater Cairo hotels do not exceed 20%, and are less than 12% in Luxor and Aswan. The chairman added that Egyptians prefer to visit coastal areas in summer.
