Member of the Tourism Investors Association in Red Sea Tarek Shalabi revealed that they demand strong promotional campaigns to market the area separately from other areas in Egypt.
Shalabi said that the association held a meeting with its members on Wednesday to discuss the promotional campaigns in the next period before the beginning of the winter season and participation in some significant international exhibitions, especially WTM in London at the beginning of November.
The hotel capacity in the Red Sea area amounts to 69,000 rooms out of a total 225,000 operational rooms in Egypt and represents about 45% of Egypt’s tourism income, according to the Egyptian Hotel Association.
Although British flights to the Red Sea area are not completely suspended, the flow of tourism has suffered significantly since early November 2015.
A Russian aeroplane was downed in Sinai in late October, killing all 224 passengers and crew on board. This led to the suspension of direct Russian flights to all Egyptian tourism areas.
An official in the association said that the Ministry of Tourism is receiving significant criticism, especially about the marketing campaigns it carries out in the European markets–which provides the major source for tourism to Egypt, representing 72% of the market.
“We are approaching the World Travel Market (WTM) London and do not know what is the marketing plan of the Ministry of Tourism for that event,” according to an official in the association, adding that tourism in Egypt is close to dying.
He also said that many projects that have closed their doors in the past period due to the decline in tourism, despite domestic tourism in the country which runs on a seasonal basis.
The official said that the number of hotels that are closing their doors increases day after day and many hotels being offered up for sale are not attracting buyers as people are afraid to enter the market.
