The Ministry of Tourism has reduced fees for hotel, company, and travel agency participation in the Riyadh Travel Fair by 50%, said an official at the Tourism Activation Authority (TAA). The fair will be held in the Saudi capital in mid-April 2015. According to the official, the cost of participation has dropped from €2,300 to €1,150, in the hopes of increasing tourist traffic from the Arabian Gulf. Adel Zaki, head of the International Tourism Committee with the Egyptian Travel Agents Association (ETAA), previously requested that the ministry reduce the price of participation for companies and hotels. Zaki said the reduction would see an increase in presence at international fairs and exhibitions and help increase inbound tourist traffic to Egypt. According to statements made by Ahmed Shoukry, head of International Tourism at the ETAA, this week, Arab tourism inflows to Egypt over the last three months grew by 400%. Inbound tourism from the Gulf and Jordan represents 80% of Arab tourism to Egypt annually, according to Shoukry. Arab tourist arrivals to Egypt over the past year declined to 1.8 million tourists, compared to 2.3 million tourists for 2012, representing a 22% decrease, said Shoukry. Inbound tourist arrivals to Egypt declined by 13% during the first eight months of 2014, compared to the same period last year. Shoukry added: "Arrivals since July have been very promising, and we hope to reach 10 million tourists by end of 2014." The TAA is participating in 21 tourist exhibitions and fairs in the fiscal year (FY) 2014/2015, including three fairs in both Riyadh and UAE, according to a ministry official. According to statistics issued by the Tourism Satellite Accounts Unit (TSA) of the Tourism Ministry, Arab tourists are the most repetitive visitors to Egypt in comparison to tourists from other countries. The Ministry of Tourism has encouraged airlines from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to launch new destinations to tourist hotspots including Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh from early 2014 to increase tourism traffic, Shoukry said. Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou said in an interview with Daily News Egypt that his ministry will launch a tourism programme in the Gulf states by the end of this year called "Masr Qareeba" ("Egypt is Near"). Saudi Arabian tourist spending exceeds an average of $100 per night, with a total length of stay approximately 10 nights. The tourists most often visit Cairo and Alexandria, while young people visit archaeological sites and coastal hotels in Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh, according to Egyptian Federation of Tourism Chairman Elhamy Zayat.
