We sit down with General Manager Ahmed Sabry, who recently took the helm at Radisson Blu Cairo, to get his thoughts on promoting the country to visitors and boosting the tourism industry.
by Noha Mohammed
As a resident of Heliopolis, I felt it odd to be staying at a hotel located quite literally 15 minutes away from my home. Stepping off the crowded street and into the Radisson Blu Cairo, I thought it would be quiet and peaceful, but was surprised to find the lobby teeming with guests and visitors. I was immediately made to feel at home by the gracious staff who checked my husband and me in before ushering me into the new general manager’s office for a chat.
Ahmed Sabry has only recently joined the Radisson team, after a veteran career starting up lavish hotels in Saudi Arabia and the GCC. And while I knew Sabry had years of experience under his belt working at various Red Sea properties, this was before going on to take his career to an international level. Why come back, I wondered. And why now when local tourism is at all-time low?
“This may not seem like the time to come back to Egypt — but top calibers need to come back and revive the industry,” says Sabry. “I am still very optimistic and want to make an effort, but it cannot be you or me alone. Nor the Radisson or other hotels alone. All of us, hotels, travel agents, bus companies have to come together, never one person.”
Sabry speaks with a passion that is almost tangible as he goes on to candidly assess what’s been going wrong since the last time he lived and worked in Egypt. “Egypt has changed over the last five years — the style of life, all these new compounds, malls and eating outlets, the whole commercial aspect. But I don’t see it being translated into tourism. Tourism is neglected, industry standards have gone down. I miss the experienced hotelier professional, this whole segment who can bring in foreign currency. And where is the Ministry of Tourism?”
But in light of recent political instability and safety concerns after last year’s plane bombing, what can the Ministry of Tourism possibly do, I ask. “Egypt was never as influenced by the political situation as it is today,” admits Sabry. “For example if Taba got hit, Luxor would be up and running, attacks in Luxor, Sharm would be doing well. Now it is different, now it is political and we have to stop relying on certain nationalities to bring in 60-70% of our tourists. The Russians, Italians, British they’re not the only nationalities out there. We need to open new markets in other areas.”
Those new markets, Sabry lists assertively, are the Levant and Turkey and the GCC. “We need to look at these as replacements. Arab tourists are an easy market; they come from close by, Egypt is cheaper for them and they love to leave their countries in summer. The Levant, Lebanon, Jordan, where are they? Why doesn’t the Ministry organize a roadshow, take five or six companies on the road to Lebanon or Jordan to promote Egypt? And there are other nationals from neighboring countries who love coming here, like the Moroccans and the Tunisians. We need to be concentrating on these people. Looking farther beyond our borders, what are we doing in Asia? Why aren’t we trying to bring in more Chinese and Indian tourists?”
Later, over pumpkin ravioli, lettuce salad and mushroom soup at the Radisson’s Filini restaurant, I told my husband of Sabry’s strategy to lure these new non-European tourist in. Sabry had discussed the need to rebrand Egypt as a destination that offers absolutely everything. “I don’t want to see any more advertisements showcasing the Pyramids or cliché camels and sunbathers on beaches,” he’s said. “Enough with that. Let’s show the world all the new things we have too: the malls and eating venues, the cinemas and entertainment options, the less-hyped types of tourism like religious or medical. Look at Dubai, for example, tourists are flocking to get their pictures taken next to fountains and inside malls. That’s what we need to do — promote ourselves as having something for absolutely everyone.”
In between bites of the lettuce salad, an array of crisp red and green leaves drizzled in balsamic dressing, my husband pointed out that we needed to deal with issues like security, bad infrastructure, poor service standards and cleanliness before trying to bring in the tourists.
Our conversation had taken a depressing turn but I wasn’t about to let it affect my appetite and I turned back to my perfectly cooked ravioli in its creamy, herbed sauce. As our tables were cleared I sipped on my fresh mango juice and looked up again at the chalkboard-effect sign with the day’s offerings. Our attentive waiter had earlier walked us through the mouthwatering dishes and we had settled for the beef tenderloin with mushroom and the grilled salmon, though after seeing waiters hurrying by carrying scrumptious-looking pizzas to be served outside the restaurant, I wished I had opted for one. But were not disappointed when the mains arrived, the delicately sautéed mushroom making a perfect accompaniment to the tender round of beef. My salmon was just as remarkable, fork tender and juicy.
We were too full for dessert but our waiter insisted we try the tiramisu, which was heavenly creamy, the coffee giving it enough kick to break the richness. Happy and well-fed, we relaxed in a lounge area and again registered how busy the hotel seemed to be. It was a Thursday night and clearly non-resident guests had come for an evening out and there were also quite a few non-Egyptians having drinks and enjoying their time at the hotel. Earlier that evening Sabry had told me the Radisson was blessed to be in Heliopolis, very close to the airport and accessible for corporate clients. “We have lots of pharmaceutical and shipping companies planning events here, but we have to admit City Stars Mall nearby has also helped to bring in Arab tourists.” Looking around I could easily spot at least three or four delegations of Egyptian corporate guests and one large group of Asians. I could see too there were several Arab families as well. An hour or so later we headed to our room, shutting out the noise of the Heliopolis traffic and turning in for a restful night.
In the morning we walked around the hotel. Despite the chill March breeze there was already one family in the pool and adjacent pool area, while other guests were relaxing with a morning coffee. We made our way to the main restaurant for breakfast and could barely find a table, it was so crowded. Given a guided tour of the expansive buffet, I could immediately tell why: there was so much food and no one wanted to leave! Hands down this was the biggest and most diverse breakfast buffet I had seen at any hotel recently, and all the food was delicious. There was the standard egg station and a ful/taameya stand then there were your continental offerings and American breakfast choices in addition to Mediterranean delights like aubergine salad and ratatouilles and couscous. Fresh fruit and cheese selections seemingly went on forever and the dessert stand was also very well stocked. We made several visits and went through two pots of coffee before we were finished.
Checking out, we stopped off at the outdoor Gourmet House for a box of their signature éclairs, ending our experience on a very sweet note.
This article first appeared in the April issue of Egypt Today.
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