CAIRO-U.S. tour operator and Egyptian officials hope to convince hesitant international travellers of that Egypt now safe and stable enough to large-scale tourism again to include.
A delegation from the US tourism industry representatives visited the country over Easter weekend, meeting with officials from the Egyptian Ministry of tourism and the US Embassy.
Malaka Hilton, CEO of Admiral Travel International Inc. based in Sarasota, Florida, said that 90 percent of the company have canceled trips to Egypt since the revolution, in February ousted the President Hosni Mubarak.
"There is still that level of uncertainty with which happened with the Government," she said. "The traveller is to say, until it is on the part of the Government, when we return."
Tourism accounts for about 14 percent of jobs in the Egypt and the drop in visitors has worsened the economic difficulties, the revolution helped the fuel.
There are no rows in the King Tut exhibition at the Museum in Cairo next to Tahrir square, and the streets of Giza, home of the pyramid, are nearly empty except for the residents, depending on tourism for their livelihood.
Ahmed Al Zawawy offers horse and camel rides to visitors the pyramids, but since the Jan he has sold three camels and six horses 25 revolution to feed his family and his only remaining horse. "This is my end, I do not know that what I will do," said Al Zawawy. "I live from day to day."
At the end of April in the US Embassy in Cairo allowed families of embassy employees back, and the State Department downgraded its travel warning on one alert advises US citizens of the "possibility of sporadic unrest," Noting that "the security situation in Luxor-Aswan, and the Red Sea of resorts are... still calm."
The prospects are for testing a trip to Egypt or other parts of the Middle East complications concerns about the impact of the RAID on Osama bin Laden's connection. The State Department gave a warning General travel after the RAID urge US citizens to "their travel limit outside of their houses, and hotels and corporate events and demonstrations, to avoid" due to the "potential for violence extended anti-American."
There were also increased reports of crime in Cairo, with a small police presence in the capital as before the revolution. Unrest in other countries of the Middle East, of the civil war in Libya violent crackdown in Syria and the Yemen, also make the region difficult to sell one for travellers.
"A State of limbo which the Government now, is just there", said Tony Gonchar, CEO of the American Society of travel agents, with Hilton, part of the group visit Egypt was. He added that the US Government "Ability to claim that Egypt is a safe tourist location" is part of what is required "for the Americans to feel the comfort level were."
Nevertheless, find those who now visit Egypt a relative calm, with possibilities for travel upgrades in short lines and small crowds.
"Overall, the situations are really minimal, and certainly no risk to our travellers," said Catherine Greteman, CEO of the National Tour Association, also part of the visiting delegation.
About only 20 percent of the 1.1 million, visited at the same time in 2010, according to the Egyptian authorities came 211,000 visitors from abroad to Cairo in February. Number of visitors improved in March and April to around half of the count of the last year, according to the Egyptian travel authority.
"We were surprised us, because 19 February had started we the first group to come back." First to the Red Sea, and then to Luxor, and then to Cairo and then the rest of the country, "Amr El-Ezabi said of the Egyptian Tourist Authority."
Egypt out tourism, usually at the end of may when the summer heat increases, then takes again in the autumn and winter. This fall that followed normal start of the peak season for tourism with the country's first post-revolutionary elections, by presidential match.
While the Egyptian Government hopes that it will return the number of foreign visitors to a normal level, it can be to visit a challenge for tourists during the unprecedented term, see especially if it be protests in Egypt and elsewhere in the Mideast.
Mubarak, his sons and many of its former members of the Government are in jail waiting for your trial, and there is uncertainty about how the military leadership, which now runs the country will transition in a democratically elected Government.
But some carefully try Egyptian leaders and groups to promote the elections as a unique selling point for travellers.
"I think, you can always be easily your normal visit and have still an added value in Egypt during its first democratic elections ever in the last 50 or 60 years taking place be," said El-Ezabi.
Steve Adamson, a marketing consultant based in Yorkshire, England, took a cruise around the Red Sea in March. He said the ship was only 50% capacity, and the journey was half-off the usual fare. Walk around various Egyptian positions, he said he "not noticed nothing unusual at all – we would have anywhere." Completely quiet and very much business as usual. "
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