On 12 September, in the week of the Eid Al-Adha, a large number of holidaymakers headed to private hotels in Hurghada, while some families preferred to spend the public holiday on the beaches of Giftun island, away from the public and private coasts.
Hurghada witnessed a rebound of tourism during the Eid Al-Adha holiday, as hotels had organised a number of concerts and events that attracted Arab tourists.
Foreign tourists represented more than 15% of the total and came from Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, and China.
Director of the Egyptian Tourism Authority’s Red Sea office, Ahmed Moustafa, said previously that occupancy rates in Hurghada during Eid Al-Adha would not fall below 85%.
Moustafa added that since schools and universities would not recommence before the Eid Al-Adha holiday, there was increased demand to spend the holiday away from Cairo.
He pointed out that many bookings were made more than two weeks before the holiday, and that the majority of the demand fell on four- and five-star hotels, with per-room prices ranging between EGP 700 and EGP 1,000.
Bahaa Hefz Allah, marketing manager at Al-Dau Development─which owns Hurghada Steigenberger Aqua Magic and Steigenberger Al-Dau Beach Hotel─ said that the great turnout in Hurghada is attributed to Arab and local tourism who attended concerts and events organised by hotels in the city.
On the first day of Eid Al-Adha, Steigenberger Al-Dau Beach Hotel organised a concert for two Egyptian singers, pushing the occupancy rate in the hotel to 97% and the other hotels close-by to 80%, according to Hefz Allah.
Maged Fawzy, former deputy chairperson of the Chamber of Egyptian Hotels, said that the occupancy rate in most hotels during the Eid Al-Adha holiday ranged between 80% and 90%. Some hotels even surpassed this percentage, while a few hotels fell under 80%.
Fawzy noted that hotels hold promotions at discounted prices throughout the year, but that these offers can’t be provided during the holidays.
Mohamed Mosaad, a taxi driver in Hurghada, said that his city witnesses a great demand during the Bayram holidays, but that the demand on hotels during Eid Al-Fitr surpasses the demand during Eid Al-Adha.
Mosaad complained about the current situation and noted: “Currently, our work has become seasonal or during both Eid holidays. Before, we didn’t stop working for the entire year.”
He pointed out that currently, most foreign tourists are German, Polish, and Asian, and there are no Russians, especially after the tragedy of the Russian aeroplane crash in Sinai.
