10 - 16 January 2002
Issue No.568
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 10 - 16 January 2002 Issue No.568 |
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Notes from "Drama Bay"
Sunhats off to Tony
THE VISIT by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who arrived in Egypt on 26 December for a family vacation with his wife Cherie, their three teenage children and 19-month-old son, has probably done more to boost the hard-hit Egyptian tourist industry than any number of cut-price air tickets or hotel reductions.The Blairs spent a week at a presidential rest house in Sharm El-Sheikh after their whistle-stop tour round the Cairo sites. They left on 3 January.
Mr Blair and his family were spotted walking around Naama Bay and chatting to other holiday makers. "I asked him if he was enjoying Sharm and he said it was 'splendid,' vascular surgeon Hisham Bassiouny, on holiday from Chicago, told Al-Ahram Weekly.
However, Britain's top man is rumoured to have found the water a bit chilly. We sincerely hope they will come back when it warms up!
Thirsty dancing
DESTINATIONS all over Egypt are reporting relatively high hotel occupancy rates over the festive period, and last week Sharm El- Sheikh was swarming with tourists, quite apart from the six Blairs. Nevertheless some hotels have turned their facilities to other uses. Seven hundred guests including a host of celebrities (although Tony and Cherie were attending a private party elsewhere) attended an LE600-per- head New Year's Eve bash around Naama Bay's new Crowne Plaza Resort swimming pool. Guests told the Weekly that the DJ failed to get into his stride, the buffet table was "mediocre hotel food" despite the promising menu and the champagne ran out soon after midnight. Guests hoping to make do with whisky were disappointed to find that it was finished, too. There was not much left for guests to enjoy apart from one another's company, but this must have been good as the dancing continued until dawn.Get packing!
RUSSIAN tourists are flooding to Sharm El-Sheikh to benefit from cut-price holidays, which are being offered as low as $5 per person per day, half board, on the Russian travel market. But good deals are also on offer for the rest of us. Some prices are so low that one can hardly afford to spend weekends at home.Call Thomas Cook to ask about their rates for three to four-day breaks in Luxor, Aswan, Hurghada, El-Gouna, El-Quseir, and Sharm El-Sheikh. Holidays start at less than LE500 per person, including flights.
The Hilton chain is offering special rates for both Egyptians and non-residents at hotels on the north coast and in Luxor, Hurghada, Ain Sokhna and all locations in Sinai. Helnan Hotels are offering similar deals in Cairo, Hurghada, Sharm El-Sheikh, Dahab, Ras Sidr, Port Said and Fayed.
For an unbeatable bargain, splash out on a Nile cruise. Flash cruises is offering three to eight- day luxury cruises between Luxor and Aswan at prices that will make you wonder why you even contemplated staying at home. Special rates apply to all categories, resident and tourist.
Domestic EgyptAir fares are down by 40 per cent for non- residents and 10 per cent for residents and Egyptians. So get booking -- but don't leave it too long! With a week in Sinai on sale in Britain for 275 pounds sterling per person, flights included, it won't be long before those tourists are back and filling the space!
Practical information:
Thomas Cook: 795 8544/795 8162
Hilton Hotels: 576 2222
Helnan Hotels: 795 3900
Flash Cruises: 414 8001/2/3
EgyptAir: 578 3048, 392 7444
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