Egypt Hotels to get health check
The Egytian Hotel Association has contracted hygiene experts to help raise standards at its hotels and reduce the number of food-related illnesses among tourists.
As part of a government-backed programme, Check Safety First will implement comprehensive food hygiene practices and provide basic training in food handling for staff in 150 hotels.
The EHA fears a repeat of the outbreak of hepatitis A in Hurghada last year would deter people from visiting the country at a time when tourism to Egypt is booming.
Check Safety First chief executive Steve Tate believes the new scheme will attract more people to the country. “The hepatitis A outbreak, in which almost 200 tourists became ill, demonstrated the potential impact poor hygiene standards can have on the local tourism industry,” he said. “Egypt’s tourism sector is currently undergoing a revival and the government is taking huge steps in urging hotels to adopt high standards of hygiene to minimise the risk of holidaymakers becoming ill and encourage concerned tourists back to the region.”
The new scheme will increase the total number of Egyptian sites audited by Check Safety First to over 300. The company’s Cristal programme was adopted aboard many of the country’s Nile cruise boats in the late 1990s following high levels of passenger illness.
Thomson and Airtours are among several operators that have reported a significant rise in bookings to Egypt over the winter. Holidaymakers have been attracted by the climate and value-for-money in the non-Euro destination.
“The Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh is very popular,” said a spokeswoman for Thomson. “There are new four and five-star hotels and you can pick up a week’s package for around £400.”
A terrorist bomb on April 7 in Cairo, which killed four people and injured 19, has not led to a slowdown in bookings, said operators.
The website www.checksafetyfirst.com provides information on hotels in Egypt which have high standards of food hygiene.
Ginny McGrath
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