The Chamber of Tourism Companies has called on its members to attend two tourism exhibitions in Span and Turkey at the end of January 2016, paying the €1,350 fee in the hope of drumming up more tourism business for Egypt.
The Tourism Activation Authority (TAA) has notified the chamber about the exhibitions, and the fact that tourism companies are refraining from participation.
“The vast majority of tour operators prefer to wait until the circumstances of the Russian airliner downing in October are disclosed,” said an official at the TAA, noting that only a few major companies will attend, unlike previous exhibitions that have witnessed strong competition for attendance.
A Russian commercial airliner crashed in Sinai on 31 October, killing all 224 passengers on board, and prompting Russia and the UK to halt their flights to Sharm El-Sheikh.
The official said that the tourism exhibition in Spain is important to cultural tourism in Luxor and Aswan, two destinations that have been suffering from a decline in inbound tourism over the past four years.
The exhibition in Istanbul would mainly benefit beach tourism in Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh, which have also been suffering since the Russian jet crash. Egyptian tourism companies aim to participate in the exhibition to market Egyptian tourism in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
European tourism accounts for 72% of the annual inbound tourism flow to Egypt, while tourism from Arab nations accounts for less than 20%. The remaining 8% is distributed among other countries.
The official believes that the Tourism Activation Authority will reduce its participation in international exhibitions until the end of this month, and will begin an intensive plan beginning mid-January.
“There is no need to attend any exhibitions now, and we should wait for the causes of the crash to be disclosed,” the official said. “Or else we will be ploughing the sea.”
