Operator calls for support for Egypt
Saturday, 28 Feb, 2011
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Cox & Kings marketing director Philip Hamilton-Grierson has called on the travelling public to take advantage of the cut-price deals in Egypt as a way of supporting the country post revolution.
Talking to Radio Four, the upscale tour operator’s man said that now was the perfect time to support the struggling tourist industry as many have lost their jobs as demand for the destination falls off.
He said: “I think people should travel to the region now for a number of reasons. The prices are good, the sites will not be crowded as they usually are at this point in the season and the money being spent goes straight into the hands of the tour guides, drivers and other tourist industry workers.”
The FCO lifted its advice against travel to the country last Tuesday.
Cox & Kings offers a wide ranging Middle East programme which has been severely affected by the wave of uprisings across the region.
Hamilton-Grierson said people had stopped booking Middle Eastern countries where no troubles have been reported, such as Oman, Syria and Jordan, for fear that protests may begin there too.
He said: “A lot of people have held back from booking in the Middle East and instead have switched to other regions. We have seen an 80% rise in bookings to sub-Saharan destination like South Africa and Madagascar. We have also seen a 40% year-on-year rise in China.”
The operator is taking a wait-and-see approach to Egypt, although it cancelled all bookings to the destination until March 31 when the protests first broke out.
Said Hamilton-Grierson: “People wanted to know they were definitely going to get a holiday so we allowed people to switch destinations. Now we are asking them if they would like to rebook Egypt.”
He added that he expected a surge next week when the price of Nile cruises fell. “We will definitely be trying to stimulate demand with special offers,” he said.
by Dinah Hatch
Dinah
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