Situation in Egypt is stable, but Russian tourists are still reluctant to visit the country
According to the Russian embassy in Egypt, police officers have been on strike for the last couple of days in Cairo and several other counties. They demand higher wages and better working conditions. RosTourism reports that these events don’t pose any threat to Russian tourists in the country, and those spending time in Hurgada, in particular. So far there have been no complaints from Russian tourists about the police officers’ strike.
The situation in Egypt is stable and peaceful at the moment. However, some tour operators notice a slight decrease in the service quality, even in 5-star hotels. One of the companies noted in an interview to RATA-news that their managers are not suggesting Egypt to regular customers for fear of risking their loyalty.
“Yes, service has got worse in Egypt. Food quality has decreased even in expensive hotels – says Stela Shiukayeva, director of “Kvadra” tourist agency, - But we inform our clients about that beforehand, so we don’t get any complaints about the food afterwards. So far there were no complaints about safety either”. But the overall tourist flow is very low, she notes. “Very few people decide upon this destination. Mostly it’s Egypt-lovers, who enjoy the country no matter what. Holidays tours are not in demand at all. Dominican Republic is too hot, Maldives are almost sold out, but no one is rushing to Egypt. People are waiting for the elections. They want to be sure the political situation will not take a change for the worse” – Stela Shiukaeva comments.
The same situation is confirmed by Tatiana Vand – director of “Vand International”. According to her, the tourist flow to Egypt is very low at the moment. Furthermore, tours for the New Year’s holidays are not being booked like they should. “I’m not expecting a sudden splash of interest during the holiday season. There’s a clear connection between tourist demands and mass media coverage. If a country gets bad publicity for a week, people will forget about it in a month and will start buying tours. If the negative take on the country has been around for a month, the resulting decrease in interest might be over a year long. That’s exactly what’s happening to Egypt” – says Tatiana Wand.
Anna Podgornaya - general manager of “Pegas Touristic” – wasn’t so quick to write Egypt off. “Currently we are selling 70% of the tours, compared to last year’s sales. The country is popular because there are simply no alternatives in terms of price and geographic proximity. UAE won’t take Egypt’s place – it’s notably more expensive. Europe and Thailand are being seriously flooded. Hainan in China is too far away. Everything else is even farther from central Russia and way too expensive for a low-budget tourist” – said Anna Podgornaya in an interview to RATA?news.