Abu Dhabi has embarked on a major push to attract more visitors from Egypt to the capital.
Egypt is already among the top 10 source markets for Abu Dhabi.
More than 100,000 Egyptians have checked into the capital’s 157 hotels and hotel apartments in the first 11 months, according to Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi).
“We are trying to increase the overall tourist numbers, including stopover travellers, from Egypt,” said Mubarak Al Nuaimi, the director of promotions and overseas offices at TCA Abu Dhabi.
“We have 10 offices across the world but none in the whole of Africa, and when we looked at Etihad having 21 flights a week from Cairo we felt this was a good opportunity to bring more people from there.” Egypt Air has 11 flights a week between Cairo and Abu Dhabi. Emirates operates 34 flights, while Etihad flies 21 times a week. In a bid to improve the tourist numbers from Egypt, a delegation from Etihad Airways and TCA Abu Dhabi conducted a workshop in Cairo for 120 travel agents and tour operators this month.
Egyptian travel agents also visited the capital a couple of months ago. At the workshop, the tour operators showed interest in four-to-five-day itineraries for Abu Dhabi, that would include Al Ain and Al Gharbia.
“With Saudi Arabia currently accounting for the lion’s share of Egypt’s outbound market, with people travelling for Haj and Umrah, there is opportunity for Abu Dhabi’s emerging halal tourism stopover propositions to take hold,” Mr Al Nuaimi said.
Still, some travellers from Egypt are deterred from visiting the UAE by relatively high visa fees, according to Rami Bohiry, a manager for Cairo-based TT International Software Services that handles visa applications.
He said rejections for applications handled by his company had risen sharply last year without elaborating.
But he said that despite the comparatively high cost of travel, visitors were still drawn to attractions such as the country’s big shopping malls and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
The UAE travel visa for Egyptian travellers when applied through Etihad can cost anywhere between US$93 and $110. With Emirates, visas to visit the country can cost anywhere between Dh200 and Dh800.
Dr Ahmed El Meniawy, a 36-year-old dentist from Cairo has encountered problems in securing a visa in the past, but says applying online through Emirates or Etihad can be a more effective route.
“The tickets are a bit more expensive that other airlines though,” said Dr El Meniawy, a 36-year-old dentist from Cairo.
Earlier this year, delays in getting a visa meant he had to cancel his trip.
ssahoo@thenational.ae
