Governments advise against non-essential travel to Egypt

The escalating levels of civil unrest in Cairo, Egypt has led to several government bodies in Asia-Pacific to issue travel warnings.

In Hong Kong, the Security Bureau has issued the “red” Outbound Travel Alert (OTA) – meaning that travel to Egypt has been labelled as a “significant threat”, and travellers are advised to adjust their plans and avoid non-essential travel to the country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Singapore has likewise issued a travel notice, advising citizens to defer non-essential travel to the country, in particular, Cairo, Alexandria and Suez.

The Australian government has also upgraded its travel warning for Egypt, urging citizens to reconsider their needs to visit the country. This warning increase follows the “Exercise a high degree of caution” alert issued earlier.

The ongoing conflict follows a speech of defiance by Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, who has vowed to protect his reign regardless of a potential intervention by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which would in effect subsume his government.

Clement Huang

Travelport Unveils Egypt Investment

According to breakingnewstravel, Travelport has unveiled plans to invest further in Egypt. In a study co-sponsored by Travelport and conducted by market research company Pho-CusWright, the findings were that the travel industry in Egypt is set to start recovering in the near future, with the tourism sector predicted to grow from $5.1bn in 2012 to $5.9bn in 2014.
 As such, Travelport has emphasised its focus on Egypt as a strategic investment region, by unveiling a robust business strategy for the country, based on Travelport’s four pillars of investment: Unrivalled Content, Intelligent Search, Empowered Selling Experience and Open Platform.
 In the next 18 months Travelport will introduce a range of new products to Egypt’s travel trade, including the Document Producer Plus, a product that allows subscribers to produce numerous documents from a PNR, and Rapid Reprice, Travelport’s revenue management tool.
 Since the start of 2013, Travelport has also launched a number of other new solutions in Egypt, including Agentivity, Travelport’s business intelligence suite, and Travelport Merchandising Platform. Later this year, Travelport will also start offering a ‘floor walker’ service to new customers, to insure smooth migration to Travelport systems.
Travelport will also continue to invest in mobile and online technologies to complement existing products such as Travelport Mobile Agent, which enables Travelport-connected agents to gain access to Galileo desktop from their smartphone, and Travelport View Trip Mobile, the itinerary management tool.

New Le Méridien to Open in Cairo

 According to breakingnewstravel, Le Méridien recently announced 10 new hotel openings over the next year, and an additional new hotel in Egypt, where the brand currently operates four properties. Le Méridien Cairo Airport will open in September 2013. Located at Terminal 3, it will be the only hotel with direct access to Cairo International Airport terminals. Le Méridien Cairo Airport will feature 350 rooms, a 24-hour restaurant, specialty restaurant, coffee bar, lobby bar, lounge, fitness centre and swimming pool. The hotel will have approximately 750 square metres of meeting space, including a business centre, ballroom and six meeting rooms, for a variety of business functions. Le Méridien and its ownership groups are also planning to invest more than $200m in the renovations of 13 hotels and resorts in the Middle East and Africa region over the next three years.

New Property for Nairobi

One of Asia’s most prominent hospitality groups, Dusit International, will be opening a new hotel property in Nairobi, Kenya in the third quarter of 2013.
DusitD2 Nairobi will be the group’s second property on the African continent, after the Dusit Thani LakeView Cairo, Egypt. The new property is located at 14 Riverside, an exclusive development in downtown Nairobi.
Flanked by high-end residences, universities, government offices and embassies, dusitD2 nairobi looks to be well located, offering a mix of all-day dining outlets, meeting facilities, a spa and terrace bar. The 17th of January saw the signing of the hotel management agreement between Nairobi-based Cape Hotels, Ltd and Dusit International, who will oversee the hotel’s operations.

Though this is the company’s second location on the continent, it is its first in sub-Saharan Africa. The company first entered the African market in 2009 with the opening of Dusit Thani Lake View. This latest venture marks a progression from the company’s operations in the Middle East.
“The favourable growth prospects and infrastructure of Kenya’s capital city provide an excellent foothold from which to further develop our brand on the African continent,” said Dusit International Managing Director and CEO, Chanin Donavanik.
 “In concert with our international expansion plans, we aim to solidify our presence in Africa and explore opportunities in locations such as Masai Mara, Mombasa, Dar es Salaam and Kampala.”

Hilton to Open Second Hotel in Alexandria

Hilton Worldwide is set to further strengthen its presence in Egypt, following the signing of a management agreement with Delta for Tourism & Hotels Company, to introduce a new Hilton Hotels & Resorts property to the city of Alexandria. The new 158-room Hilton Alexandria Corniche, a conversion property, is expected to open as a Hilton-branded hotel in 2013, and will be Hilton Worldwide’s 19th property in Egypt and it’s second in Alexandria. Hilton Alexandria Corniche will enjoy a prime location and imposing presence in Alexandria’s most upscale district on the city’s Corniche. Surrounded by stylish residences and boasting stunning views of the beachfront and Mediterranean Sea, the property will feature two large function rooms, four meeting rooms, a business centre, three restaurants - two of which will be speciality - and two bars. Leisure facilities will include a health club and spa, private beach and an outdoor pool.