C&K hit by Egypt sales decline

Ongoing apprehension over travel to Arab Spring nations has marred an otherwise promising year for Cox and Kings.

Chief executive Steve Reynolds said that while overall sales were looking “very healthy,” Egypt, the operator’s main destination in the region, had fallen by around 50%.

“The political situation has had quite an impact,” he told Travel Today at World Travel Market in London.

Insight Vacations global chief executive John Boulding predicted earlier this year that 2012 would see Egypt “bounce back” (Travel Today, September 12) but Reynolds was less optimistic. “I’m hoping rather than expecting,” he said.

But Reynolds suggested that more adventurous travellers were not being deterred. “There’s only one Egypt after all. If people are determined to see the Pyramids, then they are still going to go,” he said.

The operator has not cut Middle East product, mainly served by its Tempo brand, but it has reduced prices to stimulate demand.

“There’s never been a better time to go,” Reynolds said. “The place is very quiet and the rates are fantastic.”