Egyptian United Travel International invests EUR 2 million in expansion of business in Serbia - Construction of luxury hotels in next phase

(Taba)

United Travel International, a new travel agency in Serbia and a member of multinational Maamoun Group, is going to invest about 2 million euros this year in the development of it's business in our market.

Maamoun Group is headquartered in Egypt and it also operates in the countries of the Near East, Russia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Canada, Morocco, Jordan... In addition to the tourism sector, the Group is also active in the fields of hotel business and hotel management, real estate, import-export, and media production.

As Executive Director of United Travel International in Belgrade Saher Raafat announces for eKapija, EUR 2 million will be invested in the agency's operations and new offices throughout Serbia by the end of this year. After that, they plan to start building luxury hotels.

- As a tour-operator that will first offer travel arrangements in Egypt and later in other countries as well, we presented ourselves to the public in Serbia for the first time at the Tourism Fair in Belgrade. What makes us special is the concept - we are less of a travel agency and more of a tour-operator, meaning we will be collaborating with both agents and sub-agents from all around Serbia who will be selling our travel arrangements – said United Travel International Marketing Director Marijana Sekulic.

(Saher Raafat)

They say they want to show our tourists that the luxury from the country of pharaohs is not unattainable any more. When asked how they plan to do that, Mr. Raafat says:

- There used to be mediators between Serbian travel agencies and operators in Egypt, but now there is no possibility of a misunderstanding and that clients do not get what they've paid for because Maamoun Group maintains direct contacts with hotels. Therefore, the prices of arrangements are much more favorable. We also have our own charter flights in the offer.

By the end of the year United Travel International plans to open about 20 offices in all major cities in Serbia. A good news for our economy is that about 150 people will get a job at these offices, as well as that the office of this tour-operator will be easily available to all interested citizens all around Serbia.

Charter flights will be operated on a daily basis as of early May. The travel arrangements will be more flexible in terms of time and their prices will be more competitive. For example, an arrangement that includes the transport by plane and 7 all-inclusive days at a five-star luxury hotel will cost about EUR 400. Now such arrangement in the market of Serbia costs between 700 and 800 euros.

Second step - luxury hotels with 5*

After finishing the market research and checking whether all the plans are fulfilled, the group intends to start investing in the construction of hotels in Serbia. Since there are only 2 or 3 five-star hotels in Belgrade, the Director of United Travel International sees the space in that segment for their arrival.

The first hotel with minimum five stars will be built in Belgrade, but the location is still unkown.

- We already have a company within the group that owns hotels and is engaged in the hotel and resort management. However, we will not start building hotels in Serbia before October.

Why Serbia?

- We were analyzing the market a year ago to see which country in the Balkans is the most suitable. We agreed that Serbia should be the first country in the region to invest in because we felt that this country needed us and our investments, just like we needed you as a new market - says Mr. Raafat.

So far, they have not been cooperating with any country in the region. However, they plan to expand their operations to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia with time.

When asked if the recent political instability in Egypt will affect the number of tourists in the forthcoming season, Mr. Raafat says there is no reason for that.

The situation is now completely stable. Egypt is a country that survives from tourism so that people working in this sector are ready to offer new tourists lower prices and the maximum level of service.

Last year, there were between 30,000 and 40,000 tourists from Serbia in Egypt, Since the plan of United Travel International is to have a market share of minimum 50% by the end of 2011, Mr. Raafat says for eKapija that the number of our tourists in the years to come may amount to between 50 and 70 thousand per year due to a better offer.

Taba – undiscovered charms of the country of pyramids

In addition to traditionally most popular destinations - Hurghada, Sharm el Sheikh, and Cairo - this agency has also included a new destination in it's offer: a summer resort at the Red Sea - Taba.

Situated in the bay of Akaba, Taba is special because the border crossing to Israel and the summer resort Eliat are only about fifty meters away from it's last hotel. One can see the slopes of Sinai mountain from a hotel balcony. For thousands of years, Taba has been visited by pilgrims on their way to Sinai. Over the last few decades, a modern tourism has been developing thanks to the clean sea that offers excellent conditions for water and scuba diving activities. Mild climate enables bathing during the whole year.

According to the Marketing Director of the agency, this destination is ideal for those who want to visit the places of cultural and historical heritage since a single arrangement can enable them to stay in three countries - Egypt, Israel and Jordan, and visit famous Petra, Sinai, the church of St. Catherine and Jerusalem, while United Travel International will make that possible for them by operating direct flights to this magnificent destination.

J.Đ.