Egypt's domestic tourism hit by cheap flights abroad

Travel agencies in Egypt are complaining of the high price of domestic airline tickets, which they claim are the primary cause of the decline in domestic tourism.

EgyptAir has recently launched a return flight to Sharm El-Sheikh for around EGP 900, which appears expensive in relation to prices for return flights from Cairo to international destinations offered by some international airlines.

In the wake of the downing of a Russian passenger jet over Sinai in October, many tourists are opting for foreign holidays, with Turkey, Cyprus, Lebanon and Greece on the list of tempting destinations.

A Cairo-Lebanon-Cairo flights costs around EGP 1,700, while a Cairo-Athens-Cairo flights costs around EGP 2,400. Turkish Airlines, meanwhile, has offered Cairo-Istanbul return flights for around EGP 1,500.

Many Egyptian travel agencies have now started to offer foreign vacation packages for the February and Christmas vacations at very reasonable prices. The nations on the bargain holiday list include Lebanon and the Czech Republic, as well as other nations in Eastern and Central Europe.

Egyptian tour guide Nivine Mostafa said that, while flights to countries such as Lebanon are reasonably priced, accommodation and daily expenses are still a much higher than those in Sharm El-Sheikh.

EgyptAir recently announced a round-trip Egypt-US flight at just EGP 1,698, until 15 December 2015, prompting further concern from Egypt’s tourism sector, with many fearing the offer will tempt more Egyptians to holiday in the United States.

In response to the ongoing tourism-industry crisis, the Egyptian Ministry of Sate for Youth and Sports is organising excursions to Sharm El-Sheikh, in the hope of boosting the destination’s tourism sector.

Kuwait may be an additional source of assistance, with the nation planning to offer direct flights to Sharm El-Sheikh.

In spite of Egypt’s efforts to encourage national tourism, Mostafa Raslan, chairman of the Egyptian Chamber of Tourist Commodities in the Red Sea, believes the area’s tourism revival cannot be achieved through increased numbers of domestic visitors.

Ahmed Magdy, a flight controller in Sharm El-Sheikh, told Daily News Egypt that even after EgyptAir dropped prices of its domestic flights to Sharm El-Sheikh, the number of Egyptians travelling to the resort town is essentially unchanged.

Abu Bakr Makhlouf, Commercial Director of the Egyptian Resort Company, said flights to Sharm El-Sheikh and Marsa Allam are very expensive. He added that even if hotels there dropped their prices, this would not attract those tourists who prefer to spend extra for hotels with particularly good services.

By Maydaa El-Nadar  

http://www.albawaba.com/business/egypts-domestic-tourism-hit-cheap-flights-abroad-773606

Thanksgiving, Christmas Cheap Flights 2015: How To Get Last-Minute Deals For The Holidays

Sing it with me and Bing Crosby -- you'll be home for Christmas (and Thanksgiving). Whether you're headed back to the town you grew up in, or taking an exotic vacation, don't get ripped off by airlines. Even this close to the holidays, there are ways to nab inexpensive flights to get you where you want to go.

“Airfares in general are down this year,” Cheapflights.com editor Melisse Hinkle told USA Today. “And, while the Sunday after Thanksgiving is still in high demand, travel seems to be spreading out more across the holiday week and weekend.”

Here are eight tips for finding cheap flights:

Choose your dates wisely. CheapAir found the best days to fly for Thanksgiving were Nov. 23-24 and Nov. 26-27, while the worst were Nov. 25 and Nov. 29. For Christmas and New Years, try Dec. 22-25 or Dec. 29-Jan. 1, avoiding Dec. 18-20 and Jan. 2-3.

Check alternate airports. Depending on where you live, there may be multiple hubs within driving distance. If you're in New York City, try flying out of Newark, New Jersey. If you're headed to Mobile, Alabama, look for flights into Pensacola, Florida. Use this site to see how far away area airports are from each other.

Skip the nonstop. If you can afford a brief layover, it may help you afford your ticket. Check this sitefor a ranking of the best airports to kill time in (for the record: London's Heathrow, San Francisco International and Vancouver International are all good).

Book sooner rather than later. Prices go up about $5 a day, according to USA Today. Do it now.

Let your bags fly for free. Don't pay high fees to check your luggage. Choose an airline without baggage fees, such as Southwest. 

Keep an eye on social media. Certain companies like Jet Blue will push out limited-time-only promotions on Twitter or Facebook before revealing them elsewhere. Sign up for phone notifications on corporate accounts so you're the first to spot their discounts.

Search a variety of sources. Before you buy, sweep lists of flights on sites like Skyscanner, Hipmunkand TheFlightDeal.

Use your miles. Some airlines accept miles, or points, instead of dollars if you're a frequent customer. Keep track of them using AwardWallet, and remember, you don't have to fly in order to rack up rewards. ThePointsGuy notes you can accrue points by going to certain spas, patronizing certain florists and even donating to charity.

http://www.ibtimes.com/thanksgiving-christmas-cheap-flights-2015-how-get-last-minute-deals-holidays-2190571

Cheapflights launches in SA

Cape Town - As a host of local, low cost airlines take to SA skies, finding the best flight deal online might seem daunting and time-consuming - unless you make use of a reputable online travel agent.
Locally consumers already have access to the likes of TravelStart, Tripadvisor and SouthAfrica.to to mention a few, with some loyal travellers opting to book directly with their airline of choice.

Also see: Skywise changes launch date
But for consumers wanting increased power, with less fuss, in the online decision making and purchasing process the launch of Cheapflights.co.za is good news.

So what can avid travellers expect?
“The most fluid and intuitive flights search platform avialble,” says Andrew Shelton, the Global Marketing Director for Cheapflights.
Shelton pegged this down to its simplistic design and dedicated technology to deliver the best search results. In addition to this, the site offers holistic content and travel deal information that he believes will help South Africans travel more.
During a briefing held in Cape Town Shelton estimated Cheapflights.co.za's year-on year growth is expected to exceed 390%, with an overall audience project for the end of 2015 totaling 700 000.

 http://traveller24.news24.com/TravelPlanning/Cheapflights-launches-in-SA-20150224

South Island cities to benefit from cheap flights

Two South Island centres stand to benefit from the return of Air New Zealand's night rider service.
The axing of the popular promotion, which saw $29 flights between selected centres, drew criticism last year.

But Air New Zealand has announced $29 late night flights between Auckland and Nelson, and Auckland and Christchurch, from the twentieth of February till the nineteenth of March.
The company plans to roll out other night-rider routes periodically.

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/national/south-island-cities-to-benefit-from-cheap-flights/