Egypt can learn from UAE's tourism

The opening of an Egyptian tourism office in Abu Dhabi next week reflects the importance of the UAE to Egypt, as it marks the beginning of a new strategy that Cairo adopts to focus on promising markets in the region.
According to Egyptian officials in the tourism industry, the main purpose of the new regional office is to boost two-way tourism between the Arab countries, in addition to being proof of the strategic relations that Egypt and the UAE enjoy. Egypt hopes it could increase the number of its Emirati guests by 30 to 35 per cent by the end of the year.
According to statistics issued by the Egyptian Tourism Authority, the number of tourists increased by 23 per cent compared to the same month last year. The overall number of visitors to Egypt increased in May by 16.5 per cent, while the number from January till May jumped by nine per cent compared to the same period in 2014.
Moreover, 27,199 Emirati tourists visited Egypt during the months from January till October 2014, compared to 15,746 in the same period in 2013, an increase of 72.7 per cent.
Tourists from the KSA also increased by 64.9 per cent during the first 10 months of 2014, compared to the same period of 2013, with 292,239 guests last year, as opposed to 177,179 in 2013. Similarly, official statistics show that the number of Kuwaitis who visited Egypt in the period from January till October 2014 increased by 44.8 per cent, with 96,599 visitors, compared to 66,714 during the same period in 2013.
The opening of the UAE tourism office also reflects the Egyptian government's willingness to benefit from the exceptional Emirati experience in tourism. That is due to the existence of 85 per cent of the best international hotel chains in the UAE. Tourism expenditure in Dubai, for example, reached 24 billion dirhams in 2014 alone, spent by 11 million tourists.
Such a successful model is important for Egypt that is targeting $20 billion in revenues from tourism by 2020, according to the Egyptian minister of tourism. Egypt plans to attract 20 million visitors, as opposed to 11 million this year.
The new strategy focuses on markets with high expenditure rates per tourist, and this is evident by launching direct flights from the UAE to Sharm El Shaikh and Hurghada, amid high demand from the Emiratis for long weekend vacations.
Additionally, there is special focus on tourist destinations such as Nile. The government also plans to breathe life into several cultural destinations that have been suffering since January 2011.
The tendency to revive tourism is one way to revive Egypt's economy, which suffers from low foreign currency resources. Moreover, focusing on Arab tourism will generate momentum for Arab investments in other fields helping the country fight unemployment.
Ahmed Mokhtar is the managing editor of Al Ahram Al Massai