| Vice President & General Manager, Fairmont Nile City |
| By Noha Mohammed |
| Frank A. Naboulsi has enjoyed an extensive career with Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, previously managing the Dallas and Calgary properties. Naboulsi has received numerous awards including Where Dallas magazine’s Silver Plume award for general manager of the year in 2003 and Canadian Pacific Hotel Eagle award for outstanding leadership in 1991. What is your favorite vacation destination in Egypt and why? My favorite two spots for vacation are Sharm El-Sheikh for its pristine beaches and fabulous weather, and Abu Simbel for its rich history. How do you like to spend your vacation? Playing sports, especially golf, and also snorkeling and scuba diving when I can. I am at my best when surrounded by nature. If I’m traveling to a new country, I love to discover the culture of the city. Besides the touristic spots, I also like to mingle with the locals as that is how you discover the true flavors of the place you are visiting. Trying the street food and walking around the smaller streets is the best way to explore a new culture.What is your favorite traditional Egyptian food and where do you like to go for an enjoyable meal?At your hotel, what is your favorite meal? The best Egyptian meal is definitely molokheyya. Every Egyptian takes pride in the way it is cooked in their own home and claims it is “the best.” It is a creative food of choice, and lets every individual reflect their personal touches, whether they add salad, red sauce, onions — which is always fun to watch. At the hotel I have many favored meals depending on my mood, but when I really want something special I go to Saigon Restaurant to enjoy high-quality pan-Asian seafood dishes. Now more than ever we need to promote tourism in Egypt. What efforts is your establishment making toward this goal? The new Minister of Tourism Mounir Abdel Nour [see p. 32 for an interview] is eager to showcase Egypt by being the forefront in creating new attractions, like for example, making the airport and flights easier and more accessible. I think we are on the right track and with a good international campaign and stability returning to the country; it is only a matter of time before Egypt bounces back as one of the most sought-after destinations. We depend on a large percent of business from Europe and the Gulf Cooperation Countries. This, of course, has been impacted by social and political unrest. The hotel had to shift to attracting local business by packaging amenities of the hotel and offering attractive rates. Egypt stands to gain the most out of the other countries in the region since it has positioned itself as a culture center. We shall recoup our position within the world travel market soon. I am confident we shall have tourism and investment stronger than the past. If you could recommend just one thing an Egyptian should see or do in Egypt, what would it be? A felucca down the Nile in Cairo in the evening. It is an authentically local activity that gives you the chance to see the city from a different perspective away from the clamor and traffic. You get to see different areas of the city and how it changes in terms of nature and architectural styles from old palaces to new buildings such as the Fairmont Nile City and the Nile City Towers complex. All the lights reflecting on the water are beautiful. And if you are lucky, other boats will pass you by, perhaps with a traditional wedding or celebration giving you a real taste of Cairo’s free-spirited people. |
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