Egyptian Tourism Authority opens new office in Abu Dhabi to draw more UAE visitors

The Egyptian Tourism Authority (ETA) launched its new office in Abu Dhabi at the beginning of July, marking the establishment of ETA’s first office in the region.

The new office was announced by Egyptian Tourism Minister Khaled Ramy, during Dubai’s Arabian Travel Market exhibition in May.

The move is part of a wider ETA strategy to promote tourism in Egypt across all Arab markets, especially within the Gulf region where a higher percentage of people have disposable income to spend on tourism.

“The opening of our new Abu Dhabi office is an important milestone for ETA, which reflects the strong ties we have with our neighbors in the Arab world,” ETA Chairman Sami Mahmoud said. “The UAE has always been a strong supporter of Egypt and is one of the country’s key tourism markets.”

The new Abu Dhabi office is part of a plan to attract 20 million visitors to Egypt by 2020, while driving tourism revenues up to $26 billion.

The first half of 2015 saw Egypt’s tourism numbers rise with visitors increasing by 20 percent. Many Egyptian hotels reported 100 percent occupancy during Eid Al Fitr, most of them from from Arab countries, and particularly from the Gulf region.

Nile tourism and cultural tourism will be the next big focus for Egypt’s tourism entities, with plans for programs that combine both beach and cultural destinations.