Egypt’s second-largest city and it’s most history-laden will receive four weekly Etihad Airways flights between 2nd July and August 31, from Abu Dhabi, bringing Etihad’s schedule in Egypt to 32 flights weekly. A company statement said the flights will depart Abu Dhabi at 2.15pm Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, with return flights from Alexandria leaving at 4.50pm.
Etihad Group’s Chief Commercial Officer Robin Kamark said, “Alexandria is one of the most popular holiday destinations for UAE residents, and our new seasonal flights are timed to provide access for tourists during the peak summer period. They (the flights) will also be a convenient option for many of the Egyptian nationals living in the UAE and planning to return home during the holidays season.”
Whether you’re interested in seeing the gigantic Bibliotheca Alexandrina, fitted with rotating art museums, ancient manuscript archives, or Pompeii’s never-ending pillar, Alexandria has a singularly magnificent holiday catalogue.
Tourism is big business for the city of Alexandria. But more so for the Egyptian economy, for whom the sector added nearly twelve percent to GDP in 2018, or a hefty $29.6 billion. Only yesterday, the government submitted an action plan to parliament, hoping to double revenue from tourism by lengthening the average visitor’s stay when they come to Egypt.
The Egyptian central bank had said that tourism during the first half of 2018/2019 alone shot up by 36.4 percent, compared to 2017, with tourists spending about $12.2 billion in Egypt last year alone. The government’s expectation is that tourist visits will reach 11.7 million in 2019. Etihad’s quad-weekly flights, along with Thomas Cook’s recent launch of Arabian-styled hotels in Egypt, will draw many outbound visitors from the UAE and millions of other holiday travellers who connect through Abu Dhabi.
By Caleb Ajinomoh
