SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt: The key for Egypt to reach a higher potential in tourism is the creation of local boards for each destination, according to Emad Aziz, chairman of the Savoy Group. Savoy owns and operates three hotels in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt's famous Red Sea resort town: Savoy, Royal Savoy, and Sierra. Aziz says he is working to promote and improve tourism in Sharm, with the goal of making the resort town “the new Ibiza.” Aziz says Savoy's clientele is roughly one-third British, one-third Russian and the rest from 30 other countries. It is a major difference from four years ago, when the clientele was roughly 90 percent Russian. Aziz says part of the reason for the change is an intensive marketing campaign in Britain: the United Kingdom was the only country that did not stop flights to Sharm el-Sheikh during Egypt's January uprising, he said. During a meeting with journalists on the sidelines of a performance by British pop star Peter Andre on Friday, Aziz said he is not worried about any negative impact on tourism should Islamists come to power in Egypt. In the wake of the January 25 Revolution that ousted Egypt's 30-year leader Hosni Mubarak and his regime, many are worried of potential repercussions should the Muslim Brotherhood or other Islamist groups gain a strong influence in the next government. One fear voiced by many in the tourism industry – including Minister of Tourism Munir Fakhry Abdel Nour, who spoke to Youm7 last month – is that Islamists will push to stop, or at least severely restrict, beach tourism. Aziz called such threats by Islamists “pre-election propaganda.” It's a political tactic, Aziz told Youm7. “They're throwing stones,” he said. “Once they're in power, how can they say ‘no' to tourism?” he asked, pointing out that tourism, along with the Suez Canal, is Egypt's major source of revenue. He also said former President Mubarak's stay in Sharm el-Sheikh's international hospital after his February 11 resignation had no influence on tourism in the town, as some claim. “[Mubarak] didn't run after tourists and beat them up,” Aziz said. He said Mubarak was likely in Sharm because it was the safest place to be and because it has a good hospital. Aziz partially blamed Egyptian media for the rumor: “The media likes to find problems,” he said. Aziz echoed Minister Nour's statements to Youm7 last month regarding the state of Egyptian tourism. He said the Savoy's occupancy rate is only 25 percent below where it was this time last year and that the group moved into the black as early as July. Sierra, which targets a more middle-class clientele, has an occupancy rate of 107 percent – higher than a year ago. Nour earlier predicted that tourism in Egypt would be back up to normal levels by October, or November at the latest. Aziz topped that: he predicts that by the end of the year, tourism revenues will be above what they were at the end of 2010. Tourists who found other vacation destinations over the past few months because of Egypt's political instability will quickly return to Egypt, Aziz said, where they get better service for a lower price. “There is nothing like Egypt in tourism,” said Aziz. Even so, Egypt has only achieved 5-10 percent of its tourism potential, according to Aziz. To improve tourism, the first thing that needs to be done is the creation of local boards for each destination, said Aziz. Instead of so many organizations associated with the Ministry of Tourism, Aziz said there should be only the minister – who should have a purely political role – and local tourism boards. This would help to decrease corruption and inefficiency, he said. He said EgyptAir, the country's national carrier also plays an important role, and good and frequent transportation is necessary for any successful destination. He said EgyptAir should put the good of the country before profit. Aziz also criticized tour operators, saying they are only interested only in numbers of tourists and commissions from taking groups to certain places, not in gaining repeat visitors or the quality of the places they visit. Finally, Aziz said everyone in Sharm's tourist industry must work together for the benefit of all. “Sharm is a team,” he said, and its competition is external.
