Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - (Page 56)

CRUISES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 54 will launch the River Tosca, a 42-suite riverboat purposed for Egypt (the boat itself was built higher than usual riverboats, as it doesn’t need to navigate bridges). Staterooms will be 300 square feet, and two Presidential Suites will measure more than 650 square feet. The ship was developed by designers from Red Carnation Hotels (www.redcarnationhotels.com), a sister company of Uniworld. Bookings will go on sale at the end of the month. “We are making a big investment in Egypt,” Young says. Suppliers aren’t the only ones witnessing a growth in demand, though river cruising in Egypt still doesn’t enjoy the volume of Europe. “It’s not as strong as Europe,” says Mike Davies, the president of Anderson, SC-based River discounts.com. He sees it as a destination for seasoned cruisers. “Once they do Europe, they move on to Egypt.” This seems to be true. “Our guests to Egypt are almost invariably seasoned, adventurous travelers,” says Michelle Lavrado, regional product operations manager for Egypt at Tauck World Discovery (www.tauck.com). “Egypt is not normally a first or early destination in a person’s traveling history. Typically, someone will have traveled domestically and also seen some of the major cities in Europe before turning their attention to more exotic destinations like Egypt.” A balcony on the Oberoi Philae More Than Just the Sphinx Egypt is about as mystical and exotic as it gets. Obviously, most Westerners are aware of the pyramids and Great Sphinx of Giza; however, the country has many more places of interest. Among them is the Valley of the Kings, a remote valley containing subterranean The sundeck on the Royal Lotus offers an amazing view burial chambers and tombs; Karnak Temple, considered Egypt’s most important temple; and the Botanical Gardens. Of course, Egypt’s bustling capital of Cairo is a must-visit, as are the cities of Luxor and Aswan. Luckily, these cities are invariably part of an Egypt river cruise package. For example, the Oberoi Zahra operates an eight-day itinerary from Aswan to Luxor. Oberoi (www.oberoi hotels.com) also operates another riverboat, the Oberoi Philae, which operates between Luxor and Aswan on four- and six-night cruises. An Egypt river cruise is different from river cruises in Europe in that it is built around a pre- and post-stay. Consider a 12-day itinerary: Only three or four days of the trip are spent cruising the Nile. Conversely, an entire European river cruise can be done on the boat. “I would characterize our itineraries as 11- and 14-day trips that each incorporate a three-night Nile River cruise,” says Tauck’s Lavrado. “The cruise is a very important component of the trip, but it’s not necessarily the dominant aspect of the trip. That’s one of the big differences between the Nile cruises and the European river cruises. Many European river cruises have an included city stay with guided sightseeing at either the beginning or the end of the itinerary, but in Europe the river cruise accounts for most of the itinerary and it’s the central focus. “With our Egyptian programs, there is more of a balance between the various components,” she continues. “It’s telling that we offer our guests a cruise-only option on our European river cruises; for Egypt, we don’t offer that.” “It’s the best of both worlds,” says Avalon’s Clark, referring to taking in both the land and water experience. Barbara Painter, an agent with Comfort Tours & Travel (www.allinclusivesonly.com) in Kansas City, MO, has done her own Egyptian river cruise and is a big proponent of the trip. “Most do a three-night cruise, then seven nights on land,” she says. Overcoming Fears So while Egypt still lags behind Europe as a river cruise destination, it is certainly growing. However, the question of global security could plague Egypt as a tourist destination. “No question, [Egypt is] growing in popularity,” says Avalon’s Clark, adding that his river cruise line has seen a 44 percent growth in its Egypt river cruise business over last year. “It fluctuates based on stability, and Americans can be concerned; increasingly, they are overcoming those concerns.” “Conflict might scare some off,” says Comfort Tours’ Painter. “Once the Middle East is more settled, travel will become better.” Interestingly, Painter says that Egypt attracts a lot of European travelers, more than Americans. “They’re not as frightened to travel in that region,” she says. I CONNECTING YOU For more information on cruising in Egypt, visit www.travelagentcentral.com/cruises 56 | TravelAgent July 21, 2008 http://www.redcarnationhotels.com http://Riverdiscounts.com http://Riverdiscounts.com http://www.tauck.com http://www.allinclusivesonly.com http://www.oberoihotels.com http://www.oberoihotels.com http://www.travelagentcentral.com/cruises

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - July 21, 2008

Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 Online Now Contents Contributors From the Editor Europe Pacific/Asia Tanzania South Pacific Pacific Northwest Las Vegas Florida Mexico The Caribbean Comes to D.C. Cruises Tours Hotels Agenda Luxury Travel Expo Global Destination Update Small Luxury Hotels Expands into Asia ASTA is Changing, and Growing Carnival Reduces Direct Business In the Spotlight Classified Marketplace Editorial Index Advertising Index Trendwatch

Travel Agent - July 21, 2008

Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 (Page Cover1) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 (Page Cover2) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 (Page 1) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Online Now (Page 2) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Online Now (Page 3) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Contents (Page 4) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Contents (Page 5) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Contents (Page 6) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Contents (Page 7) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Contributors (Page 8) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Contributors (Page 9) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 10) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 11) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 12) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 13) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 14) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 15) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Europe (Page 16) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Europe (Page 17) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Europe (Page 18) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Europe (Page 19) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Pacific/Asia (Page 20) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Pacific/Asia (Page 21) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Pacific/Asia (Page 22) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Pacific/Asia (Page 23) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Tanzania (Page 24) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Tanzania (Page 25) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Tanzania (Page 26) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Tanzania (Page 27) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - South Pacific (Page 28) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - South Pacific (Page 29) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Pacific Northwest (Page 30) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Pacific Northwest (Page 31) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Las Vegas (Page 32) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Las Vegas (Page 33) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Las Vegas (Page 34) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Las Vegas (Page 35) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Florida (Page 36) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Florida (Page 37) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Florida (Page 38) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Florida (Page 39) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Mexico (Page 40) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Mexico (Page 41) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Mexico (Page 42) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Mexico (Page 43) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Mexico (Page 44) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Mexico (Page 45) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - The Caribbean Comes to D.C. (Page 46) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - The Caribbean Comes to D.C. (Page 47) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - The Caribbean Comes to D.C. (Page 48) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - The Caribbean Comes to D.C. (Page 49) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - The Caribbean Comes to D.C. (Page 50) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - The Caribbean Comes to D.C. (Page 51) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - The Caribbean Comes to D.C. (Page 52) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - The Caribbean Comes to D.C. (Page 53) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Cruises (Page 54) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Cruises (Page 55) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Cruises (Page 56) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Cruises (Page 57) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Cruises (Page 58) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Cruises (Page 59) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Cruises (Page 60) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Cruises (Page 61) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Tours (Page 62) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Tours (Page 63) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Tours (Page 64) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Tours (Page 65) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Hotels (Page 66) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Hotels (Page 67) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Agenda (Page 68) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Agenda (Page 69) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Agenda (Page 70) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Luxury Travel Expo (Page 71) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Global Destination Update (Page 72) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Small Luxury Hotels Expands into Asia (Page 73) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - ASTA is Changing, and Growing (Page 74) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Carnival Reduces Direct Business (Page 75) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - In the Spotlight (Page 76) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Classified Marketplace (Page 77) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Editorial Index (Page 78) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Advertising Index (Page 79) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Trendwatch (Page 80) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Trendwatch (Page Cover3) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Trendwatch (Page Cover4) 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