For more than 20 years, I've worked with clients entering and expanding in the China market across all major business sectors and mainly Fortune 500 companies. Lately, there's been a major uptick in interest in capturing the China tourism market, and we have been working with new clients on how to tap into this formidable market.
Read MoreFew nations boast a richer cultural lineage than China or Egypt. To draw a line from their present to their past is to trace the evolution of human civilization. Despite this shared global relevance, until recently the two nations have remained isolated by geographical circumstance. Now that is beginning to change as Chinese tourists flock to Egypt in record numbers.
Read MoreChinese tourists are on the move, and they have a new passion – cruising. The number of Chinese taking to the high seas has grown 10 fold every year since 2011, and is expected to top 4.5 million cruisers by 2020. North American’s still dominate cruise holidays today with almost 14 million setting sail each year. Europeans follow with just over 6 million travelers, and the rest of the world accounts for 4 million. But these dynamics are changing as the Chinese explore new waters.
Read MoreInternational travel to the Middle East took a major hit after the Arab Spring, falling by as much as one-third in Egypt, but Chinese tourists have proved to be the exception to the trend. Inbound travel to the region from China is sharply up, despite security risks and political uncertainty: more than half a million Chinese tourists visited Dubai last year, and the number of Chinese travelers to Egypt tripled to 200,000 over the past three years.
Read MorePrincipal Deputy Minister for Planning, Ambassador Yasser Elnaggar, interviews with Youm7 newspaper for their Euromoney issue
Read MoreFinally, there is good news from Egypt. During a visit to Washington, D.C. last week, Egyptian Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou announced that travel to Egypt is up 70 percent this year. Tourists are venturing back to the country despite political turmoil — casting a vote of confidence in President el-Sisi’s efforts to restore economic and political stability since taking office last June.
Read More