Holidays in Egypt: NY Celebrations for Tourists in the «Land of the Pyramids»
We have already written about the New Year holidays of European tourists in Tunisia. Now we have decided to continue this tradition and do an interview about how the recent winter holidays were celebrated by guests of Carthage Group in Egypt.
Our interviewee was Svetlana Kravtsova, head of the Egypt division at Carthage Group and an inspired professional with extensive experience in the tourism and hospitality industry.
The conversation was not only about December and January in Egypt, but also about the exclusivity of the most popular guided tours, the possibility of combining a relaxing vacation with an intensive educational experience, the necessity of closely following guides’ recommendations – and much more.
From which countries did Carthage Group’s specialists welcome guests this winter in Egypt?
From Romania and Bulgaria. We’ve seen a positive trend of more and more visitors from those countries in recent years. Especially with tourists from Bulgaria, their numbers are growing year over year, and not just during the winter holidays.
Using the example of these guests, let’s talk about the recently ended holiday season. How many tourists from Bulgaria arrived in Egypt to celebrate the New Year?
About 700 people.
Were these travelers as active in Egypt as they were in Tunisia, where they pleasantly surprised even experienced travel industry experts?
Yes, their love of life and energy can only be admired. Bulgarian tourists always book a lot of excursions. However, they usually stay for only 5-6 nights, their vacations are shorter than those of guests from Romania, who, when it comes to the winter holidays, start arriving as early as Christmas.
Bulgarian travelers try to do everything in a short period of time: enjoy the desert, go on a yacht trip, see the Great Pyramids, and this is not the whole list.
But because of such an active position, sometimes funny things happen. For example, this year, some tourists who were planning their trips independently at home in Bulgaria managed to forget that on the New Year’s Eve and the New Year’s Day, they were supposed to be celebrating the New Year and not rushing to some regular attractions in Egypt by land, sea, or air. Plus, they had booked overlapping tours: one hadn’t finished yet and the other was starting.
We had to deal with this confusion, because it is physically impossible to be present in different places at the same time. Although, looking at the guests from Bulgaria, I am starting to doubt this. They really are impressive, it must be admitted.
Do Bulgarian tourists also gladly participate in excursions during the summer?
The Bulgarian market in Egypt can be described as seasonal. Travelers from this country have Turkey right next door, which is easily accessible by bus, and often they spend their summer vacations there. Bulgarians mostly visit Egypt in the fall, spring, and for the New Year holidays.
However, I can see some clear changes here. This year we have a lot of bookings for the summer season. We’re getting ready and waiting.
Which resorts do your guests prefer?
Mainly Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada. However, each nationality has its favorite resorts. Hurghada, for example, is a «summer camp» for German tourists, with local hotels being 70-75% filled with travelers from Germany. There are also English, Dutch, and French tourists, and Romanians prefer this resort as well.
Bulgarian tourists prefer Sharm El Sheikh. Looking at the New Year’s statistics, we welcomed 4 large airplanes from this country, while in Hurghada there was only one.
Are there any explanations for these preferences?
I think it’s a matter of tradition. Because, speaking about tourists from Bulgaria, to be honest, I don’t really understand why they are so fond of Sharm El Sheikh. They often vacation with children, and in Hurghada, gently sloping beaches are much more convenient for little ones, while in Sharm El Sheikh, you have to jump in the sea from jetties and wear aqua shoes to avoid hurting your feet.
But on the other hand, the corals can be considered a great advantage of Sharm El Sheikh. In this resort, they are located close to the shore, so you don’t have to go on any additional excursions to enjoy this beauty and see the marine life.
In any case, we are aware of travelers’ preferences, and we make sure to take them into account by offering the best booking conditions specifically in the places that our guests love.
Which place is more convenient for going on excursions in Egypt, Hurghada or Sharm El Sheikh?
The Egyptian «must-have» is, of course, the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx. The distance from Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh to these attractions is approximately the same. However, when it comes to Luxor, it is easier to get there from Hurghada. The journey takes only about 3.5 hours by bus. On the other hand, traveling from Sharm El Sheikh to Luxor requires a flight, but these short air journeys are also very popular among our guests.
By the way, combo tours have been gaining popularity lately. For example, tourists fly to Cairo, stay in the city, explore its attractions, and then go to enjoy the sea in Hurghada or Sharm El Sheikh, after which they return home from there. Alternatively, they may start with a beach vacation and then move on to historical exploration. The number of such tours has increased approximately four times in the past year.
Can you tell a bit more about combo tours?
Nowadays, tourists are becoming much more demanding. They want to gain a maximum variety of experiences from their trips. And Egypt with its numerous attractions is an incredibly suitable country for it. There are not just three pyramids, as some travelers might think, but a total of 118. They are scattered throughout the Nile Delta and the desert, dating back to different periods of the Egyptian Kingdom.
But the beach vacation here is also fantastic. And when we first tried to offer our guests a combo tour about 2-3 years ago, it was a success.
Seeing the interest from tourists, we developed a vast number of such programs, including multi-day cruises on the Nile and visits to Alexandria. The Egyptian Mediterranean is a new, rapidly growing luxury tourist area.
Do many companies offer something similar to their clients? Combo tours are an exclusive offering from Carthage Group or a common trend in Egypt?
Combo tours are quite a unique offering from us. However, it’s important to understand that sometimes companies «spy» on each other. If they see that some company has invented something completely new, they immediately start adopting useful practices. Therefore, to maintain uniqueness, we always have a very limited timeframe to launch a new product on the market and capture interest.
And with combo tours we were fortunate, thanks to Bulgarian tourists, who already knew us at the time this offering came out. They were familiar with the level of service from Carthage Group, trusted us, and according to their habits and preferences, they wanted to try something new.
We still don’t have any followers in the Bulgarian market. However, there are a few in other markets. Some companies have also started developing combo tours, but they don’t completely replicate our concept. They follow an unspoken professional etiquette, and remove certain elements, add others, and mix things up in their own way. This means that a certain exclusivity of our offerings is maintained.
What excursions became best-selling during the past winter holidays?
During these holidays, our guests happily went on city tours. It’s a great opportunity to see the whole resort and buy New Year gifts, such as local sweets, natural cosmetics, essential oils, and leather.
Many guests also traveled to Luxor and Cairo, participating in boat trips, desert excursions, and tours of Egypt’s protected natural reserves. We have a huge selection of guided tours, including luxury tours and budget trips. There’s a wide range of entertainment for children, such as crocodile shows, visits to dolphinariums, aquariums, and much more.
The tour to Mount Sinai (Mount Moses) and Saint Catherine’s Monastery is very popular among tourists. However, for the New Year, we could only offer this program with some limitations. The Monastery of Saint Catherine operates according to its own rules, and just a few days before the holiday, its representatives informed us that it would be closed from December 31 to January 6. This means that visiting the burning bush and entering the monastery garden is allowed, but guests cannot venerate the relics of Saint Catherine, which disappointed some of our visitors. Unfortunately, we have no control over the monastery’s schedule.
Another challenge this year was that Sharm El Sheikh experienced a huge influx of people due to an increase in the tourist flow from the Middle Eastern countries. As a result, the resort faced transportation issues. The airport couldn’t cope, charter flights were canceled, and we had to remove a plane excursion from our schedule.
What New Year’s Eve party programs were offered to the guests?
From Carthage Group, we organized the program on December 30. It included dinner at a beautifully decorated restaurant for 150 people, completed with gifts, surprises, giveaways, and prizes. But first, we headed to the Ras Mohammed Nature Reserve, which is a great pride and treasure of Egypt.
The weather darkened the guests’ mood a bit. It was windy that day, and it became quite cool by sunset. Guides always warn tourists that the climate in this region is sharply continental, and the temperature differences between day and night can be quite noticeable. The temperature can drop in just a few minutes. Unfortunately, not everyone takes the recommendations to bring warm clothing seriously.
Of course, we were trying hard to deal with the situation. We gave over warm blankets and tried to keep people warm. We want our guests to have only positive emotions and impressions from their travels around Egypt.
And how did the night party go?
New Year parties are usually held in hotels. By the way, some guests also complained about the cool weather due to some restaurant spaces being open, and the guests were wearing festive, but rather light clothes for the occasion.
But there are no complaints about the hotels. Everything was organized well. There were programs with options for every taste, such as welcome cocktails at the restaurant, the main event at the amphitheater, and a show at the bar. Rixos hotels hosted vibrant and lively parties for our guests with inviting professional performers and DJs.
Which hotel chains did the guests from Bulgaria stay at?
Many stayed at Rixos. Bulgarian tourists also love hotels from the Jaz, Charmillion, and Pickalbatros chains in Sharm El Sheikh. In Hurghada, the popular hotel chains are Pickalbatros, Sunrise, Gravity, and Hawaii.
Hurghada is more budget-friendly than Sharm El Sheikh. At this resort, it’s worth mentioning the hotel complex Neverland City. This is a new concept that combines the areas of three large hotels, which differ in price but share common restaurants and other facilities, including a huge water park and heated pools. It’s very convenient and cost-effective.
In general, all hotels support the modern trend, which is a 100% focus on the guest. In many accommodations, there are mini clubs where you can leave your child in the morning and go on an all-day excursion. Additionally, there are «adult only» areas for guests who want to relax without children. You can organize your stay in Egypt in different ways.
The New Year holidays are over. What are you working on now?
We have gained a lot of experience from this season. We will work on the negative aspects and strengthen the positive ones.
Many tourists return to us multiple times, so we are currently working on developing new excursion itineraries. Additionally, we are preparing for the upcoming holidays, as we always want to offer something special to our guests. For example, on February 14, St. Valentine’s Day. What it will be remains a secret for now. Come and see for yourself!
