Erkan Yıldırım, CEO of Rixos Hotels Egypt, told Tourism Today that Rixos Hotels is a milestone for Egyptian tourism.

Erkan Yıldırım said that the occupancy of hotels in Egypt is currently at 90 percent and added, “2025 will be the year of Egypt.” Reminding that Egypt is a destination where tourism can be done for 12 months in terms of climate, Yıldırım said, "At the moment, Egypt has started to be preferred more due to the price-quality balance. Prices are the most popular issue in Turkey. There are statements from Russia and while prices in Turkey have increased by 10%, Egypt is currently stable. As long as the price and quality balance is maintained, interest in Egypt has increased a lot. Especially Rixos Hotels became a milestone for Egypt. Because many local hotel chains there take us as a role model. They are very happy for us to enter there because they increase their prices and quality thanks to us. We can say that Italy, Spain and Greece in the Mediterranean basin will soon be seriously affected by the number of tourists attracted by Egypt."

Erkan Yıldırım said that the steps taken by Rixos Hotels drew the attention of investors to Egypt, "Some hotel groups in Turkey saw our success there. Our founder Fettah Tamince clearly expressed this at the Resort Tourism Congress. He said, 'Let's get out of our shell and see what is happening in the world. We currently serve with 42 hotels in more than twenty countries around the world. In 4-5 years, this will increase to 80-90 hotels. Turkish hotel investors can also step into different countries for sustainable tourism. Look, continuity is very important in tourism. In Turkey, tourism is practiced for 6 months. As such, hotels have difficulty in maintaining quality. Quality personnel started to flee from tourism. We are reading and hearing all the time right now, and this is the issue that is voiced when we meet with professional friends. In other words, quality staff fled from tourism, especially after the pandemic. Service is very important for hotels. How we meet the expectations of the guest is very important. It is very important to give people value for money. European, Russian or Turkish tourists prefer us blindly. We are very happy about this," he said.

Reminding that Rixos Hotels is not an investor in Egypt, Erkan Yıldırım said, "There is a wrong perception. We have to operate completely in Egypt. We do not have a dollar investment. We sell our experience and network. We are also operators in some state hotels. Because trust in Rixos is through the roof. We have nearly 10 thousand beds in Egypt and we will increase this to 12 thousand rooms. The biggest and fastest growing region for Rixos Hotels is currently Egypt. Egypt can host tourists for 12 months. It is a very rich destination in terms of climate, history, wealth and culture. Turkish top management in our hotels or the presence of Turks at different levels attracts Turkish guests more."

Inviting Turkish hotel investors to Egypt, Erkan Yıldırım said, "We call on investors to invest in different countries at every opportunity. Turkey has 6 months of tourism. They can do tourism for 12 months together with other countries. Thus, our center will be on the agenda for 12 months. They can do this with Egypt," he said.