Uncertainty still hanging over Egypt
Egypt continues to be a problematic destination for wholesalers, as the country's future remains unclear ahead of its long-awaited elections.
Government warnings on the Smarttraveller.gov.au website are still at high levels with sales continuing to be well down.
However, Abercrombie and Kent Australia managing director Sujata Raman said the luxury firm is "really confident" that the destination is showing signs of recovery, with it now back to around 40% of its former strength.
"Egypt is one of our biggest destinations and it certainly is just keeping its head above water," she told Travel Today. "We need to build that confidence."
As a result, A&K has introduced a new "Safety Net" initiative, enabling guests booked on one of its Egypt itineraries to postpone travel for up to two years at no additional cost should any "tension or disturbances" be reported in the Australian media.
But Raman stressed that, strictly speaking, the offering is nothing new.
"We're just putting into print what we were doing anyway," she said. "It's for people who are nervous about making a decision too far out because they don't know what's going to happen."
Meanwhile, Brett Tollman, chief executive of The Travel Corporation, was certain that Egypt is "not coming back anytime soon", with the firm seeking to grow other destinations to replace it.
While he highlighted India as a frontrunner, he admitted sales of the destination have also been somewhat disappointing.
"We thought it would be a lot better received in Australia and the US as key markets to date," he said. "But we're very committed to it."
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
abercombie & kent brett tollman egypt sujata rama wholesalersLatest News
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