Ahmed Issa travel tips

Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, March 19. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Famous for being the cradle of civilization, Egypt bursts at the seams with historical artifacts. Ancient Egyptian civilization has shined through millennia with iconic figures, and it has also played an important cultural and political role in the Graeco-Roman world.

Egypt’s Minister for Tourism and Antiquities, Ahmed Issa, will be attending this year’s WTM to unveil updates to the country’s ambitious national tourism strategy. Egypt’s tourism strategy aims to achieve rapid growth in the sector. The country has already received more than 7 million tourists during the first half of 2023, the highest level in Egypt’s history.

The discussions focused on plans to spur the investment climate in the various tourist destinations across Egypt.

Dubai welcomed 1.47 million overnight visitors in January as Russia went on to be the second largest tourism source market for the emirate. Registering a 63 percent increase over 2022, for the emirate, 115,000 Russians visited Dubai for tourism. The highest number of international guests were from India at 186,000, while the third-biggest source market was Saudi Arabia with 98,000 visitors. Skift had earlier mentioned in an article how Dubai has proved to be a safe haven for sanction-hit Russians wanting to flee the country. During the year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, air traffic between Moscow and Dubai grew at a whopping 228 percent compared to pre-pandemic, according to travel analytics firm ForwardKeys. While Dubai’s 1.47 million overnight visitors in January is lower compared to 2019’s 1.6 million, it is 50 percent above January 2022’s 980,000 visitors.

Over 20 percent of Chinese millionaires plan to visit the Middle East in the next 12 months, according to the latest TrendLens report from luxury consulting firm Agility. The report analyzed the survey responses of 315 affluent and 216 high net-worth individuals in China in March and April this year. Those planning overseas leisure trips jumped from 50 percent in 2022 to 75 percent this year. High net-worth individuals expressed a preference for buying beauty, alcohol, watch, and jewelry products abroad in search of better deals. China’s high net-worth individuals and affluent consumers are more confident about their disposable income and investments, and spending on luxury products and experiences like tourism, according to the report. Having welcomed 989,000 Chinese tourists, China was Dubai’s fifth-largest source market in 2019. When Saudi Arabia opened to tourism in 2019, the maximum number of tourist visas issued were to Chinese tourists. More than 100,000 Chinese tourists visited Saudi Arabia in 2019. Following the resumption of outbound group tours for Chinese citizens on February 6, Middle East destinations have been wooing Chinese tourists. Dubai has been actively promoting travel-related campaigns in China and has continued to implement a visa-free policy for Chinese visitors as well as a “China Ready” strategy. With plans to welcome 4 million Chinese visitors by 2030, Saudi Arabia included China in its e-visa program and in the 96-hour stopover visa program that allows guests flying in to the country to avail a complimentary one-night hotel stay. Ahmed Issa, the tourism minister of Egypt had said this year that around 30 million Chinese tourists are interested in visiting Egypt over the next few years. China’s largest online travel agency Trip.com Group has also signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi to promote these destinations. Speaking at the Skift Global Forum East in Dubai last year, Trip.com’s Chief Operating Officer, Schubert Lou, said old marketing strategies would not work on the new Chinese traveler.