Ancient future

The development of Egypt's leisure industry beyond its famous cultural attractions will be significant in growing visitor numbers.

Although quite rightly famous for its ancient history and cultural attractions, Egypt has some hidden leisure offerings that industry leaders are keen to promote.

Pyramids and camels aside, there is a great deal more that Egypt can offer, according to deputy director general of the Egyptian Tourism Federation, Manal Hosny.

"The 22% increase in visitors during 2007 can be explained by a number of factors. Egypt is placed centrally between a number of core markets including Europe, the Middle East and Asia," Hosny explains.

"We expect that by 2010 we will see 12 to 13 million visitors a year in Egypt."

And with the expansion of resorts in Egypt, Hosny envisages further growth within the leisure industry.

"New resorts are fuelling expansion in places like Port Ghalib, Sharm El Sheikh, Luxor, and El Gouna. Luxury hotels are bringing with them spas, swimming pools and golf courses," Hosny explains.

"The more facilities, the greater attraction for visitors," she adds.

Senior director of business development for Hilton in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon & Africa, Azza Serry, agrees with Hosny.

"The challenge is to come up with more rooms and new destinations to avoid running into 100% occupancy," she says.

"We need to focus more on quality and upgrade our services," Serry adds.

There is also a suggestion that more attractions need to be developed to capture the return market.

"Good growth exists today, but as a leisure customer you are always looking for something different, something new, for your next holiday," she explains.

"You want to keep the Egyptian sun, but change the resort, so we are developing places such as Marsalam and Sahl Hasheesh to maintain interest and keep tourists coming back,' Serry adds.

But it is not just the tourist market that is helping growth, according to Serry.

"The culture is very attractive to a growing local market. It's quite a commercial market and the spend there is quite strong," Serry explains.

Spending in sports

According to Serry, investors are becoming especially interested in the spa, diving and golf markets in Egypt.

"Golf mainly appeals to the expatriate community and Egyptian business community, but it is growing into Egyptian families and into a weekend hobby," Serry says.

"Friends and couples meet at the clubs and have a round of golf. It's not an Egyptian thing yet, but there is certainly a noticeable growth," she concludes.