17/11/2023
The development of the tourism sector in relations between Russia and Egypt currently seems to be one of the main aspects of Russian-Egyptian cooperation.
Tourism has brought Egypt an average of $7 to $12 billion since 2008.
In 2020, the numbers was about $10.7 billion under Covid restrictions. During the coronavirus epidemic, this figure dropped by half over the entire period, and in 2022-2023 the figures began to recover. According to research by Russian specialists, in the most favorable periods, total income from the tourism industry in Egypt can amount to up to 20% of the country's GDP. Thus, the development of cooperation in the field of tourism can help the overall development of relations between Russia and Egypt,
not only in economic, but also in cultural aspects.
Russian citizens make up the majority of the total tourist flow in Egypt itself and both sides are interested in developing bilateral cooperation in this industry. Egypt has already created and streamlined infrastructure for a comfortable stay for Russian tourists, which cannot be said about the opposite.
As part of attracting Egyptian citizens to tourist trips some difficulties may arise in Russia, including the lesser knownness of most cultural tourist places in Russia for Egyptian citizens, the insufficient development of infrastructure in regions favorable for eco-tourism, to which Russia has a predisposition due to the diversity of climatic zones on its territory.
To stimulate the tourist flow to Russia within the framework of Russian-Egyptian cooperation, it seems important to focus on the development of a very undervalued area of the tourism business - educational tourism. In our opinion, attracting Egyptian citizens within the framework of cultural exchange in Russian universities may become a key factor of interest in visiting Russia already as cultural and ecological tourism. Egyptian students studying at Russian universities could learn more about the nature and culture of Russia, become interested and, thereby, in the future, form a stable flow of tourists from Egypt to Russia.
Egyptian and Russian cultures have a fairly large number of points of view that could attract Egyptian tourists (despite negative factors, such as the language barrier or the lack of fully developed adaptation programs for Egyptian tourists who are not accustomed to Russian conditions). Among the key ones os points are:
1 Hospitality:
- Both cultures value hospitality. Guests in Russia and Egypt are usually greeted with warmth and cordiality.
2. Family values:
- Family plays an important role in both cultures. Family ties and traditions give special meaning to joint events and holidays.
3. Respect for elders:
- In both cultures, respect for older generations is an important aspect. Traditional values of the family hierarchy emphasize respect to older members of society.
4. Religious traditions:
- Both Russia and Egypt have deep religious traditions. Orthodoxy predominates in Russia, while Islam plays a key role in the culture of modern Egypt. However, many regions of Russia are home to indigenous peoples who profess Islam, with whom Russia's Orthodox majority has learned to successfully coexist, which can facilitate interaction between tourists and the local population.
Why is educational tourism important? Educational tourism is a relatively new type of tourism, which consists in obtaining new skills, competencies and knowledge by tourists, which includes not only classical education in educational institutions of another country, but also trips to attend cultural and educational events, festivals or other events of a similar nature. Thus, an emphasis on educational tourism can be a good starting point for attracting customer attention to Russia
and, therefore, to re-use the company’s services within other types of tourism. Without attracting interest in Russia as a country
with a rich history and culture, the flow of tourists from Egypt to Russia, according to the author, will continue to remain consistently low.
However, Golden City Travel has already contributed significantly to the development of this area, so, analyzing the company’s activities in recent years, the share of visas for entry for the purpose of education is 75% of the total number of documents issued through the company. However, this only indicates the great potential of this area.
The fundamental meaning of the new proposed concept for the development of the company is to abandon the large-scale classical campaign to promote the company through advertising agencies and instead focus on establishing bilateral and multilateral relations with organizations within Russia on various business platforms. This is, first of all, the MITT 2024 Forum, which will be held in Moscow in March next year. It is expected that Russian universities, as well as various cultural centers, will be considered as primary partners. The point of such a strategy is to concentrate efforts on a more comprehensive
and systematic promotion of the company’s main field of activity - assistance in obtaining study visas. A more comprehensive approach is proposed, which provides comprehensive assistance to Egyptian citizens wishing to study in Russia and obtain a study visa, starting from assistance in choosing a university and study program using various online platforms, ending with stable agreements with the Russian side on placement and adaptation of Egyptian students upon arrival in Russia. A competent business strategy in negotiations will help to simultaneously reduce the company’s costs
for promotion through advertising agencies and expand the range of services provided within the company’s main field of activity. Services will vary in cost depending on the scale of customer support, allowing those who are more independent to save money, and those who are less adapted
for international exchanges – receive guaranteed assistance with flights
and arrangement at all stages. This should expand the customer base due to the variety of services provided and improve the company's financial performance. Key elements of the support offered include:
• Advisory assistance in preparing for the flight, including providing a preview of the study program at a particular university, recommendations on everyday issues in different regions of Russia (since the climate in them can be very different) and other issues related directly to the adaptation period after flight.
• Registration of study visas.
• Assistance in choosing air tickets.
• Organization of additional Russian language courses, adapted to the peculiarities of Egyptian culture and language in cooperation with the Russian side, so that future students can adapt faster and more successfully
to the training program.
The following aspects are proposed as a program for participation in the upcoming forum:
• Creation of a specialized website that will focus exclusively on the prospects and benefits of traveling to Russia for Egyptian citizens and will show the seriousness of the company’s intentions in this direction for Russian partners.
• Organizing own stand at the MITT 24 Forum in March 2024.
• Implementation of network and bilateral meetings with representatives of Russian universities, organizers of cultural and educational festivals and Russian officials from structures responsible for tourism development.
• As a new type of service, organize online and offline tours for Egyptian students to various universities in large cities of Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, as cities with the largest concentration of educational institutions in Russia) combined with a rich cultural program.
• Form tripartite negotiation groups between representatives of the company, Russian government agencies and representatives of educational institutions.
Participation in such a major forum as MITT and other platforms will simultaneously contribute to both the establishment of working contacts between Russian representatives and the management of the travel company, and
and the rapprochement of the two countries on the basis of cooperation in the area of international tourism, which is important for both countries, since the two countries don’t have political differences or territorial claims between themselves, and the tourism industry is critically important for the Egyptian economy, while it isn’t very well developed in Russia , but has great potential in the future.
Published by D.D.Glukhova. РСО4-19
