Luxor News

Just returned from a 2 week holiday to Luxor and tourist business there is very quiet. Although there has been quite alot of discounting on packages it has not really generated much business and all hotels are running at very low occupancy levels.

If anything the situation is even worse on the Nile Cruise boats with probably less than 10% sailing and most lying empty and mothballed at their moorings. Of the owners and managers that I talked to none could give me confirmed dates when they planned t0 restart.

One small upside to this is that the tourist sites are very quiet and so you can have as much time as you like at each one and infact at one temple we visited, Medinet Habu (temple of Ramses III) our family were the only tourists there!

RA II Nile Cruise specials

The current low level of tourists in Egypt and especially in Luxor and Cairo has effected the number of Nile Cruises that are operating. Currently out of around 300 boats only maybe 25-30 are sailing at this time and many of the others do not know when they will restart service.

One problem this can cause is that people booking a Nile Cruise may find that the boat they had booked to go on is changed shortly before they are due to travel as it does not have enough people in order for it to sail. This could then lead them to be put on an inferior boat.

The UK favourite RA II continues to sail with its normal program including its extra sailing to the temple of Dendera and at Atp Travel http://www.atptravel.co.uk/RA_II we have some fantastic deals for selected departures in September and October. If you book this boat you are guaranteed to be on it.

Call now for details

Imagine - The Pharaohs' Museum on Liberation Square

I stayed up to watch Alan Yentobs Imagine program as it was on Egypt and what happened to the Egyptian museum during the "revolution" in January on tuesday night. Having visited Cairo many times it was fascinating to see some of the locations that Mr Yentob and his camera crew got to film from, including the interview with Omar Shariff filmed overlooking Tahrir or Liberation square as it is now known.

The scenes with Egypt's Minister of Antiquities Zahi Hawaas, probably the second most well known Egyptian after the deposed president were a combination of uncomfortable and slightly embarrassing as it was clear that Mr. Hawass was unhappy with some of Mr. Yentobs questioning. Particularly those with regards to what went on during the revolution when the Egyptian Museum was looted and also the treasures currently held abroad in foreign museums.

The only saving grace with regards to the looting is that the looters somehow mistook the gift shop for the museum itself and so that is where most things were taken from!!! Pro democracy demonstrators then rushed to protect the museum on hearing of the looting and to prevent any further damage.

If you have never been to Egypt there are things you will see that you would think could only appear in a comedy film and I am not just talking about the driving. Whilst filming in the Tutankhamun room during opening hours Mr Yentob witnessed museum workers opening the glass case containing the gold death mask, take it out (1 guy lifting it up with no support) then put it down on a table before changing one of the bulbs used to illuminate the mask. Shades of Only Fools and Horses and the chandelier scene sprang to mind.

Overall the film was very sympathetic to the situation in Egypt using what happened had the museum to discuss the future and what it holds. Having just returned last week I can say with 100% accuracy that the current situation is very bad from a tourism point of view. Hotel occupancy in Cairo and Luxor was very low and very very few of the Nile Cruises were operating, maybe 20-30 out of 300!!

Unfortunately with no real government until the elections in September there is no chance for any support or help in the form of subsidies to aid incoming tourism so in some ways all we can do is sit and keep our fingers crossed.

Daily Mail Travel writer's Nile Cruise

I read a recent article in the Daily Mail from a writer who had enjoyed a week on the Nile (presumably paid for by the tour operator) and her heart had sank when she saw the "ugly floating hotels stacked 6 deep" and "passengers forced to walk cross the decks of others" and then she moved on to describe her own boat, prices for which started at £2745.00 pp for 8 nights.

Now I have never been on the boat she sailed on but it looks great (so it should for that money) and has a good number of facilities as well, but would it be worth paying that amount of money for the extra facilities and to have someone fix your laptop??

As with anything, you get what you pay for and whilst there are currently some great bargains to be had for not just Nile Cruises but alot of holidays in Egypt as operators cut prices to try to sell stock they hold, a Nile Cruise does not have to be an expensive holiday.

If you book early enough you can enjoy a Nile Cruise from £615.00 pp this winter on a good 5* boat or from around £899.00 for a luxury boat with your own private guide and transportation which to me represents much better value for what is essentially the same holiday visiting the same sites.

I agree with the writer on one thing and that is that Egypt needs tourism money right now, ideally the Ministry of Tourism is working on an incentive with the local operators as well as the airlines, fingers crossed.

But I think I would like her to view some of my boats before she puts us all in the same category for Nile Cruises

Egypt - New discoveries

After what most people involved in Egypt tourism would describe as a very bad year so far its great to see a story involving new discoveries which showcase Egypt positively. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-13522957

Egypt's Lost Cities which goes out on Monday the 30th May on BBC 1 at 2030 follows an American archaeologist as she excavates sites discovered through the use of satellite infra red imagery.

The findings include at least 2 new suspected pyramids and over 1000 tombs which eventually could lead to new tourist sites.

May and June Egypt Bargains

There are some great bargains to be had for both Nile Cruises and Luxor stay Holidays over the next couple of months due to the low flight rates that are currently available.

The Luxurious Ms Farah is available from £699.00 per person with free deck upgrades and the choice of private sightseeing on selected May and June departures which is a crazy price for a boat that is only 9 months old.

The RA II is also available from £569.00 which as anyone who has travelled on her before knows is a great offer and this includes sightseeing and all transfers

7 nights bed and breakfast at the Sofitel Karnak is available from just £329.00 pp and a week at the Sonesta St George in a side Nile view room from just £359.00 pp. You can then book some of our very well priced half and full day tours to enjoy the treasures of Luxor for a brilliant and cheap holiday.

Both hotels offer excellent value for money for a leisurely break

Nile Cruises 2011

With all of the recent bad press for Egypt and the demise of another Tour Operator - African Safari Club -its nice to be able to report something good.

We have managed to secure rates for winter 2011/2012 on many of our boats at the same prices as this years. So for early bookers we can offer lead in winter prices from £699.00 on the RA 2 and £899.00 on the Ms Farah.

These prices include return flights, full board on the boat, full sightseeing itinerary and all transfers in Egypt.