Record Numbers Are Travelling To Egypt

E ver wondered what it’s           Egypt on holiday in 2006-7, an     like at the centre of an        increase of 13 per cent on the     Egyptian pyramid? Those who     previous year. Hospitality for     have been on holiday to Egypt may     those travelling in Egypt is       have powerful memories of this,       clearly thriving and there is a    along with the hubbub of the          good choice of hotels in the       Egyptian marketplace, inquisitive     tourist areas of Cairo, Luxor,     locals sucking on shisha pipes,       Aswan and Alexandria, as well as   chaotic mingling of people and        the tourist resorts of Hurghada    traffic, hieroglyphics, the           and Sharm-el Sheikh.               ethereal mask of Tutankhamun and                                         tourist guides proffering camel       When to go                         rides and souvenirs at Giza.                                             Steeped in ancient history, Egypt     Due to its proximity to the        is an explosion of vibrant colour     equator, Egypt’s climate is hot    and mystical intrigue. Travel to      and dry and winters are mild. In   Egypt and you’ll remember it for      the summer, daytime temperatures   the rest of your life!                often exceed 45C. Whilst many of                                         the historic sites may be empty    Tourism in Egypt                      during mid-summer, the searing                                           heat limits sightseeing for most   Where else could you sit on a         to mornings and evenings. As a     camel and gaze up at the imposing     result of this, and the equally    Great Sphinx through a hazy           alarming prospect of being         desert sunset? Egypt is so            hounded by swarms of summer        crammed with drama and energy         mosquitoes, the most popular time  that it’s no wonder the number of     to travel to Egypt is mid-October  holidays to Egypt has reached         to May, when it is not too         record levels. According to news      uncomfortably hot to explore the   agency Mena, 9.7 million went to      country’s many visitor sites.                                            authentic papyrus and pharaonic    Holidays in Egypt                     objects can all be found at local                                        bazaars. The Khan-al-Khalili       A holiday in Egypt has so much to     bazaar in Cairo, a shopping area   offer and cheap Egyptian holidays     since 1382, is particularly        can be found on certain websites.     popular among those on holiday in  Visitors to Egypt can entertain       Egypt due to its extensive range   themselves with such unique           of goods and central location.     experiences as a cruise down the                                         Nile, a Saharan wildlife safari       The Pyramids                       or a tour of Egypt’s bustling                                            capital, Cairo. Egypt is well         Any tour of Egypt would be         connected by trains but many          incomplete without a visit to the  tourists discover finding their       iconic Pyramids of Giza, the       own way around such a large           Great Pyramid being one of the     country a daunting prospect and,      Seven Wonders of the World, as     as a result, package tours of         well as having been the world’s    Egypt are increasingly popular.       tallest structure for over 3,800                                         years. Ever since these massive    Shopping in Egypt                     funerary homes were constructed                                          for Egypt’s great Pharaohs of      Shopping in Egypt is an               2700-2200 BC they have been a      opportunity not to be missed.         source of fascination for          Locally made goods are abundant       travellers. While the structures   and, for the proficient haggler,      may look impressive today, at the  can be obtained at very good          time they were built the pyramids  prices. Egyptian cotton is            were capped with gold and covered  renowned for its purity and           with polished white limestone.     luxuriant scarves, hand-made                                             carpets, perfume concentrates,        As for what it’s like at the       centre, in case you were              struggling, bent-double, through   wondering, there’s a tomb, it’s       the tiny corridors, and there may  swelteringly hot, there are           just be a lurking opportunist      dozens of tourists exhausted from     gathering ‘payment’.               About the Author: Daniel Eyre is the Products Manager of Search Travel Online (http://www.searchtravelonline.co.uk). Search Travel Online is part of the Co-operative Group, offering cheap holidays to Egypt. Published At: www.Isnare.com