Despite a blip last year, Egypt remains on the bucket list of plenty of Aussies and Kiwis in the face of unrest in the Middle East, according to Uniworld Boutique River Cruises MD, Alice Ager.
In fact, the destination is set to receive an extra boost in the form of a collaboration with luxury Australian designer Camilla Franks, which was unveiled at an exclusive event in Sydney last week.
Speaking to hundreds of attendees, including top selling travel advisors from across Australia and NZ, Ager noted that while Egypt has not been immune to the effects of what is happening in the region, the Federal Government’s Smartraveller advice for Egypt has remained unchanged since 2018.
“Nothing has changed, you can still get travel insurance,” Ager noted, admitting that there was a “wobble” causing lots of cancellations in 2023 which had been cause for concern. “But now what we see is incredible stability in our bookings, and Egypt is back – particularly for groups – we’ve done eight new Egypt groups just in the last month, thanks to you guys,” Ager enthused.
That’s certainly set to continue based on enthusiasm for the extensive new collection, which evokes the colours, art, history and culture experienced by Camilla on a 2022 Egypt trip.
Also present at the event was Mohammed Khalil, the Consul General of Egypt, who hailed the collection as “perfectly embodying the soul of what Camilla experienced in Egypt”.
He noted huge ongoing interest in Egypt among Australians, as evidenced by the more than 500,000 people who attended the recent Ramses exhibition at the Australian Museum in Sydney, sponsored by Uniworld’s sister TTC brand, Adventure World. Khalil and Ager both highlighted the upcoming full opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, which is expected to further catalyse interest in travel to the destination from Aussies.
Uniworld’s Global CEO Ellen Bettridge also flew in from the US for the glamorous event and took to the stage, where she shared her love of Egypt (“[it] holds a special place in my heart”] and deep admiration for Camilla’s designs (“you create dresses for all sizes, for all people, for all personalities, and you make us feel confident – thank you for that).
Then, Bettridge announced the launch of Uniworld’s 50-night ‘Rivers of the World’ experience to celebrate the brand’s 50th anniversary in 2026. Kickstarting in Brussels on board Uniworld’s super ship, Emile, the cruise will head to Amsterdam, then embark on a mystery cruise to Egypt.
“We just thought there is no better way than to end there, because we all believe so passionately [in Egypt], and we want to ensure that we bring back tourism. We have that power to bring people to fantastic places, and we need to bring people back to Egypt,” enthused Bettridge.
In addition, Uniworld will introduce its first women-only cruise, and launch music-themed cruises on the Danube and golfing packages in France, she added.
Ager also enjoyed a fireside conversation with Franks, who shared the lifechanging experiences she enjoyed during her time in Egypt, where she gathered inspiration for the ‘House of the Sun’ collection.
“When I go to a country, I don’t like the normal tourist itinerary, I have to do something unexpected, and that’s what I loved about my experience with Uniworld. They really had my objective at the forefront of every single twist and turn, and that’s why the collection is what it is today,” Franks said.
“What I loved about the whole Uniworld experience is it felt like a home away from home. It felt like family. It was more intimate and more of a spiritual experience.”
