23 - 29 August 2001
Issue No.548
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 23 - 29 August 2001 Issue No.548 |
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ABTA in Egypt
THE ASSOCIATION of British Travel Agencies (ABTA) has declared that next year's annual three-day convention will be held in Egypt starting on 16 October 2002.
Egypt's has been fighting to play host to this significant event since 1999, when Minister of Tourism Dr Mamdouh El-Beltagui put in a bid while at the annual World Travel Market in London. There he told ABTA officials that Egypt's long experience and ready facilities would make it an ideal venue for such an international conference.
The head of the ABTA subsequently paid familiarisation trips to Egypt in April 2000 and March 2001 to investigate the suitability of the Cairo International Conference Centre (CICC) and nearby hotels, as well as all the administrative and organisational activities related to conference tourism in Cairo.
ABTA comes second in importance in the travel industry, after the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA). It controls 98 per cent of the outgoing British tourist movement, including in its membership more than 7,000 tour operators and travel agents.
On the margin of the conference, ABTA officials will hold a major exhibition enabling Egyptian travel agents to display products and programmes.
Arabians in Sharqiyya
THE 10TH El-Sharqiyya Arabian horse show will be held on 1 September under the auspices of Prime Minister Dr Atef Ebeid.The show, organised by the Egyptian Tourist Authority (ETA), is listed under the Ministry of Tourism's calendar of annual events held in cooperation with the Al-Sharqiyya governorate.
The festival will be held on the Cairo to Belbeis desert road, after the Belbeis toll station, from 10 am to 6.30 pm. It will include performances and competitions for Arabians and their riders.
We speak your language
ARAB and Egyptian travellers to England this summer can enjoy a special service on offer from British Airways at Heathrow and Gatwick airports.The service, the Middle East Visitors Service (MEVS), aims to serve non- English speaking passengers. MEVS employees are able to speak the passengers' language -- in our case, Arabic -- and understand their home culture. They will meet Arab and Egyptian travellers at the aircraft and assist them through arrivals, immigration, baggage collection and customs.
The service is further enhanced by offering passenger services outside the boundaries of the airport. For example, staff can book accommodation, theatre tickets, sightseeing tours and car rentals for arriving passengers. Egyptian and Arab travellers who want to take the advantage of MEVS services need to pre-book a request for assistance when making their ticket booking
British Airways officials at Heathrow airport believe that service will solve many frequent problems. "People sometimes lose their way and don't even know how to get out of the airport," an official commented.
New merger
THE C&N (Condor and Neckerman) tourist company declared at a recent Cairo press conference that it was merging with Thomas Cook. The new company thus becomes the second largest travel group in Europe, and the third largest in the world. The combined organisation now operates 30 tour operator brands carrying almost 15 million customers a year, 3,800 travel agencies, a fleet of more than 70 aircraft and a staff of more than 27,000.C&N has changed its name to Thomas Cook AG and will use Thomas Cook as a corporate, retail and service brand in the group.
Thomas Cook officials believe the tourist industry in Egypt will experience positive effects as a result of the merger.
In a meeting between Minister of Tourism Dr Mamdouh El-Beltagui, Alan Stewart, executive chairman of Thomas Cook Great Britain, and Mounir Kamal, General Manager of Thomas Cook Egypt, the prospective positive outcome of the merger was discussed. Also under discussion were the future of tourism in Egypt and policies undertaken by the Ministry of Tourism to promote tourism to Egypt. Further discussions addressed the role Thomas Cook could play to expand the flow of tourism to Egypt.
Compiled by Rehab Saad
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