Erkan Yıldırım, CEO of Rixos Egypt Hotels, told Aşkın Koç about the tourism demands from Berlin to Egypt at the Berlin ITB Fair
Berlin International Tourism Exchange (ITB), one of the largest and most important tourism fairs in the world, which could not be held face-to-face for the last three years, opened its doors to visitors for the 54th time.
Rixos Hotels Chain, one of the important global brands of our country in the tourism sector, took its place at the ITB Berlin Fair. Erkan Yıldırım, CEO of Rixos Egypt Hotels, answered the questions of Tourism Journal founding partner and Editor-in-Chief Aşkın Koç about the fair.
Aşkın Koç: As a global brand, we are proud of you. My dear brother Erkan, you have given life to Rixos for years, you have given life to them. Recently, your investments in Egypt have been frequently publicized and you are there too. If you compare Egypt and Turkey, what would you say?
Erkan Yıldırım: First of all, I follow your news site, which brings a new breath to the tourism sector, and I wish you good luck. We are also happy to welcome you as a team at the ITB Berlin Fair. As you know, Rixos is a brand that has been flying our Turkish Flag in the international arena for 23 years. We serve with more than 30 hotels from 15 countries. I was at the headquarters before, I have been in Egypt for the last 5 years. Some of the biggest and most important investments of our group take place in Egypt. In a 2-year future, we will expand to 10 thousand rooms in the region. Rixos continues to grow not only in Egypt, but we also have very serious projects in the Gulf countries in Doha, Qatar and the UAE. Soon we will see Rixos as a huge international chain of 50 hotels.
Aşkın Koç: As you know, the Berlin International Tourism Exchange (ITB), one of the largest and most important tourism fairs in the world, which could not be held face-to-face for the last three years due to the pandemic, opened its doors to visitors for the 54th time. You are here with a beautiful booth. What kind of expectations do you have from the fair from Germany to Egypt?
Erkan Yıldırım: As you know, ITB Berlin is the world's largest tourism show arena together with London. After 3 years, this year it was opened with an intense participation. Even though it was the first day of the fair, we encountered a huge crowd. ITB Berlin is a huge tourism exchange. Not only the German market, but the whole world converges here. So far, senior managers of many customers from England to Italy have come. It is very successful and busy. It is even busier than before the pandemic. Because people are hungry to do business, to produce, to work.
Aşkın Koç: How did the visa convenience affect Egypt?
Erkan Yıldırım: Of course, it was very positive. We have seen the positive reflection of this since last year. It got so easy. It is enough to show the hotel reservation when entering the country. Transportation is also very easy, the hotels are 10 minutes away from the airport. Turks are among the top five in the portfolio of foreign tourists visiting Egypt. It continues to increase day by day. While Turkey has a tourism that is stuck in 6-7 months, the most important feature of Egypt is that it is doing tourism for 12 months. The fact that it is a 2-hour destination close to Turkey is also an important factor. There are direct and frequent flights. The fact that hotels are Rixos, a concept known to Turkish people, makes us more attractive. The same all-inclusive system in Turkey is also applied in Egypt.
Aşkın Koç: From which countries do tourists come to Egypt the most?
Erkan Yıldırım: The British are in the first place among the tourists coming to Egypt, especially to Sharm El Sheikh. After that, there is an intense demand from the Gulf countries, especially the Saudis. Many tourists also come from the Baltic countries. There is a serious demand especially from Romania and the Balkans. There is a demand from the Germans for the destination of Hurghada. Although the Russians are in the top five, there is also demand from the Baltic countries. In other words, we can list the countries that prefer to have a holiday in Egypt as the British, Germans, Russians, the Balkans and the Baltic States. In addition, Turks show high demand for Egypt.
Aşkın Koç: Thank you for sharing your valuable information.