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28 December 2012 New, low prices posted for 2012.

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19 December 2011 Update on Situation in Egypt

1 August 2011  Just returned back from another wonderful trip to Egypt and Jordan.  From Alexandria to Aswan and across The Sinai we were welcomed by all keen to tell of their part in the Revolution.  Warm welcome and uninterupted travel and largely deserted by tourists.  Experimented crossing from Egypt to Jordan by land via Israel.  Proved to be an option for some - just expect stringent security and a few lines/queues.
If I had to pick highlights  it would be climbing Mt Sinai for sunrise, learn more about Petra and the warmth of the people.

26 May  17 'new' Pyramids discovered using satellite technology.  Read more at New Pyramids Found in Egypt .
22 March The Egyptian Museum, which according to its deputy director, Mahmoud El Halwagy, welcomes up to 10,000 tourists daily during the high season, saw as few as 100 people per day when it reopened on Feb. 20.

Tourism makes up 11% of the country’s gross domestic product, according to Amr Elezabi, chairman of the Egypt Tourist Authority, who said arrivals last month were down 85% from February 2010.

The estimate of $1 billion in lost revenue since the revolution is based on Elezabi’s assessment that Egypt’s tourism revenue had amounted to $25 million per day.

17 March  US Sec. Of State Clinton visits Tahir Square as Egyptians prepare to vote in a Referendum....the first free vote in decades.  Read more at BBC.

8 March  Our first guest for somewhile arrives in Cairo!

2 March - Today we learn of the follow easing of advisories: 
The Foreign Ministry of Holland announced the lifting of its advisory against travelling to Egypt.

On February 28th the Spanish Foreign Ministry lifted its travel advice against travelling to Sharm el Sheikh, Luxor & Aswan.
The Austrian Foreign Ministry has lifted its travel advisory against travelling to Luxor, Aswan and the Nile.
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the lifting of its advisory against travelling to Egypt.
The Belgian Foreign Ministry announced the lifting of its advisory against travelling to Egypt.
The Japanese Government has downgraded its travel advisory to Egypt from level 3 (do not travel) to level 2 (consider travelling) except for Sinai Peninsula, Red Sea and the Suez.
The Danish Foreign Ministry no longer advises against travelling to Egypt.

1 March The UK has relaxed the offical Travel Warning and some European countries have eased them completely.

18 Feb Egyptian Museum and other sites to re open this weekend.

11 Feb Within 1 hour of the resignation of President Mubarack we spoke to our colleagues and friends in Cairo, to wish them well.  They were of course elated and relieved.  All are well and hoping to welcome Egypt Magic Guests again very shortly.  Life had already returned to normality apart from around Tahir Square, Cairo in the past few days.
 
They thank all the many people who have wished them well and enquired after their wellbeing.

4 February  2011.  I am sure you have watched the developments in Egypt with emotions ranging from shock, rage, admiration and more.  Many of you have kindly contacted us to check on the wellbeing of our staff and Guides in Egypt.

We are pleased to say they are all fine but clearly not unaffected.  Their daily lives have changed immediately and as the country (and jobs) depend so much on tourism and visitors they are undoubtably concerned about the future.

There are not many jobs in Egypt.  There are even fewer good jobs.

We hear that many hotels have simply just 1 or 2 rooms occupied.

See below for a remarkable and moving story from two Egypt Magic guests from Maryland. USA and how our staff went to great lengths to do what they could. 

Whilst we have had to cancel or postpone many tours we expect to be operating normally shortly but will only operate based on advice from, amongst other sources our contacts on the ground in Egypt, so we can ensure our guests have a memorable trip, in the way planned!

Tourism and Egypt

Tourism is vital to Egypt in the future.

Over 12% of all jobs are in tourism and in just the first 9 months of 2010 was worth $9.2 billion to the Egyptian economy.  Thats huge.  Ironically, tourism receipts were 15.8% up on the previous year. 

Egypt Magic, from having a record year in 2010 will see fewer visitors but is determined to help Egyptians rebuild this part of the economy in 2011

Extracts from Egypt Magic Guests Mike Miron and Shelley Row  Report on a Difficult Few Days.

"We arrived in Cairo at 3:30PM on January 28 2011 .

As we proceeded to the baggage claim area I noticed a man in a dark suit holding a sign with the words “Egypt Magic” printed in bold black letters. We approached him and introduced ourselves. He said his name was Mohamed and he would be our tour leader and main point of contact while we toured the region for the next ten days.

 Then he said, “Unfortunately, I have some disappointing news for you. We had some unrest last night in downtown Cairo and the government has imposed a curfew that applies to everyone traveling on the roads this afternoon and evening.” He said we should collect our bags and go with him to the main waiting area in Terminal 3. The curfew was obligatory for all non-Egyptian persons arriving at the airport, but he intended to talk with the security personnel to find out if we could travel to our destination hotel in Giza which was about a 45 minute drive from the airport.

 "No matter what, I will stay with you.” He said. For the next four, unnerving days, those words gave us a real appreciation for the dedication, loyalty, protectiveness and compassion that this man, whom we had only just met, gave to us. 

We’d spend our first evening in Egypt at the airport.

Early Saturday morning as the curfew was lifted, two of Mohamed’s colleagues – Hussein and Ahmed – arrived to escort us to the hotel in a small eight-passenger van. Another couple from Australia joined us. Mohamed explained that we needed to stop by another hotel to drop this couple off first since they were separated from their tour group under his direction. We hustled out of the airport to the tour bus parking area. Hussein our driver, and Mohamed, quickly loaded the luggage into the back of the van. “Pull the curtains closed over the windows,” Hussein said. We all looked at each other with uncertainty on our faces, but did exactly as we were told. We did not realize it at the time, but our first stop was a hotel in the heart of downtown Cairo, the scene of the previous nights’ unrest.

 Traffic was sparse as we exited the airport and made our way to a highway leading into Cairo. Everything seemed normal until we saw the first tank about 5 miles outside of town parked along the highway. Then we saw a few others with soldiers standing beside them with rifles and automatic weapons cradled in their arms with fixed bayonets. Suddenly, we came upon a long column of tanks – at least 20 – parked on the highway in the lane next to us. We all felt intimidated by the sight of this awesome force because we knew why it was there. Other soldiers in personnel carriers were milling about near what seemed like an endless file of military vehicles.

 Le Meridien Pyramids Hotel was a welcome sight when we arrived even though two tanks were parked near the entrance. The Three Great Pyramids are close by and the Cheops Pyramid, in particular, was almost a stone’s-throw away. The majesty of this monument brought us some comfort as we walked toward the lobby.

Inside we met Amr, the supervisor, of the tour staff and Ahmed, our tour leader. Together with Mohamed and Hussein, these men became our friends. They were Egyptians and concerned about how the image of their country would be tainted by these demonstrations. It was clear to us they were speaking from their hearts and deeply worried that people from around the world would judge all Egyptians by the acts of violence that occurred the previous day. We felt sad and empathetic and explained to them that we have experienced similar situations in our country as well. 

Mohamed, Amr, and Ahmed talked with us more about the tour, but they were uncertain about the curfew situation for Saturday afternoon and Sunday. We decided to rest in the hotel for the remainder of Saturday since we did not get any sleep the night before at the airport. We would check with them later in the day since we were scheduled to begin our first tour of the Pyramids the next morning. We were also instructed not to leave the grounds of the hotel".

Sadly Mike and Shelley's tour could not go ahead so. it was decided they would leave Cairo.  The y continue "In the end, the decision was clear – leave Cairo as quickly as possible. Easier said than done as curfews were enacted each afternoon prohibiting all movement, the airport descended into chaos, and Internet service remained curtailed. Thankfully, cell service was reestablished allowing us to text and call.  

Plus, we had the cavalry on our side in the form of our tour company. The staff with their supervisor, Amr Haggag, never left our side, not once, ever. They stayed overnight at the airport and at the hotel – dressed in their suits and ties. Keep in mind, these are local people with families in the affected areas. They left their wives, kids and parents to ensure the safety and comfort of strangers. One young man wiped a tear from his eye as he told of his frightened mother crying to him on the phone. She lived in one of the buildings threatened by looting. Despite these personal hardships, they checked on us several times a day to see if we were okay. Their manager called personally to ensure our satisfaction. We were more than satisfied. We can’t say enough good things about these people

Mike and Shelley eventually flew out of Cairo late Monday night, her report finishes ...

"The real heart-breaker for us were the new friends we made in Egypt, but had to leave behind abruptly. As we said goodbye to Mohamed we felt like we were leaving a family member. In the four short days of our journey in and out of Egypt we will always remember Mohamed, Hussein, Ahmed, and Amr.

 "No matter what I will stay with you.” And, they did".

 You can read Mike and Shelleys blog at http://mikeandshelleysfrenchadventures.blogspot.com/ (scroll down for Egypt section).

 

 

 

 

 

 

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