The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : ‘Egypt attracts every class of tourist'

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Monday, Dec 06, 2010
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

‘Egypt attracts every class of tourist'

M. L. Melly Maitreyi

HYDERABAD: Not content with the growing interest of Indian tourists in the land of Pyramids, Egypt is going all out to showcase what sets it apart from other travel destinations.

For tourists round the world, Egypt is synonymous with the mystical pyramids, its age old cultural brand. “The focus of our promotion is to bring about awareness that the country is endowed with such diverse attractions to offer something for every class of tourists,” Adel El Masry, director, Egyptian Tourism Office, India, told The Hindu here on Saturday.

Mr. Masry, who is here to promote what he calls ‘unforgettable Egyptian holiday experience' in the 51 {+s} {+t} edition of India International Travel Mart, says with a hint of pride, “Egypt is a rich blend of culture, heritage, modern lifestyles woven around its diverse landscape — be it the monuments, lavish cruises on the world's longest river, Nile, luxurious beach resorts or its desert tourism and a lively western-oriented nightlife”.

The 2,000-km-long Mediterranean beach is the best in the world and the Sharm el-Sheikh has become popular as the best city for diving, apart from Cairo, popular for its monuments and Alexandria, for its museums, he reveals.

“Our strategy is to promote new products related to religion, architecture, marine life, leisure, adventure activities like golf, diving, wellness and spa,” and it seems to be paying off given the growing number of Indian tourists to Egypt. It attracted 90,000 Indian visitors in 2009 and the figure is expected to cross one lakh this year.

On an average Egypt attracts 12.5 million tourists every year across the world. Of this, 80 per cent from Europe and 18 per cent from Arab world. Interestingly, it is also a popular ‘MICE' destination with 40 per cent of tourists falling under this category.

But seeing huge potential to attract tourists from Asia, particularly India, Egyptian tourism office will step up its road shows across the country.

It is all set to launch a new campaign to promote Egypt as honeymoon destination and would select five couples in a contest and sponsor their trip to diverse destinations in Egypt. Each couple will get to explore a unique facet of Egypt which would be shared through media, Mr. Masry says.

The ideal time to visit Egypt bordered by the Mediterranean to the North and the Red Sea to the South East, is from September to March and the 11-day package covering all major attractions would cost Rs.60,000 per head.

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