Latest news with #GizaPyramids
The Guardian
12-05-2025
- The Guardian
Inside the world's largest archeology museum - the Grand Egyptian Museum in pictures
A visitor looks out towards the Giza pyramid complex at the world's largest archeological museum, which is slated to fully open this summer outside of Cairo. Photograph: Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images The museum's main hall. Sprawling over more than 100 acres and featuring some 100,000 artifacts, it is the largest museum devoted to a single civilization. Photograph: Daniel Greenhouse/Alamy A statue of Pharaoh Ramesses II in the museum's main hall. Egypt's longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak first proposed the museum in 1992, and construction on the project began in 2005. Photograph:After years of delays due to political unrest and the Covid-19 pandemic, parts of the museum opened in 2023 to limited tours. Photograph: Tamer Adel/Alamy The museum's grand opening is slated for 3 July 2025. Photograph: Robin Jerstad/Alamy Officials have said they expect the museum to draw 5 million visitors per year. Photograph: Robin Jerstad/Alamy Photograph:The top of the main building is level with the Giza pyramids. Photograph: GEM The building's facade pays tribute to the nearby pyramids and is made of translucent alabaster stone. Photograph: Tamer Adel/Alamy The original Egyptian Museum, in Cairo's Tahrir Square, will continue to operate. Photograph: robertharding/Alamy However many of its artifacts, including those from the reign of Tutankhamun, have been or will be relocated to the new museum. Photograph: Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images The final transportation and installation of a granite statue of Ramses II in 2018. Officials spent years assembling the museum's collection. Photograph: Barry Iverson/Alamy Today the statue presides over the museum's main hall. Photograph:Designers say the building's climate-smart designs – which include a reflective roof, external shading and resource-efficient lighting – help it save more than 60% in energy costs and reduce water use by a third. Photograph: David Ribeiro/Alamy An Egyptian archeologist works next to the gilded coffin of King Tutankhamun, which underwent an eight-month restoration process, the first since the tomb was discovered in 1922. Around 150 conservators and researchers work on-site restoring and studying artifacts. Many of the artifacts on display are being shown to the public for the first time. Photograph: Mohamed Hossam/EPA
Skift
09-05-2025
- Business
- Skift
Bucket List Experiences are Everywhere. How is the Incentive Industry Adapting?
Is the definition of an incentive trip — an experience that attendees could not create on their own — still valid, when anyone who can afford it can buy a bucket list experience? The old model of incentive travel that prized inaccessibility — the kind of luxury you couldn't buy for yourself — is changing. The global marketplace for travel experiences has grown to more than $1 trillion, according to McKinsey & Company. Anyone who can afford it can purchase the chance to explore the Giza pyramids with the Egyptian Minister of Antiquities or try their hand at Polynesian rowing in Easter Island with Chile's Olympic team. Instagram feeds are lined with individual travelers having the same exact experiences that were once the purview of incentive groups. Today's incentive winners are more sophisticated than previous generations, said Michelle Castady Orlando, who has spent her entire career curating experiences, forming her own company, Elevoque, in 2021. 'They're well-traveled. They're experience-savvy. They aren't moved by velvet ropes; they're moved by moments that feel like they're truly for them.' It Depends on the Budget Talk to many incentive travel firms, and they still have clients hosting those eye-popping group incentive experiences that are beyond the reach of most people. However, they admit it's just a small percentage of companies that have the budgets to support these types of programs, and they are almost always from the insurance, financial, automotive, and energy sectors. At Land O' Lakes, which holds a number of different types of incentive programs for customers and internal employees, Chris Johnson, director-global travel, enterprise meetings and experiences and sports partnerships, says his team puts a great deal of thought and planning into the creation of once-in-a-lifetime experiences. A recent incentive on a chartered cruise ship, for example, allowed the group to choose their stops at various ports along the Mediterranean. The final evening, the ship was docked in Barcelona, and the closing event was a cultural immersion through entertainment and food. 'Guests experienced a journey through the Spanish culinary traditions, culminating in a breathtaking drone show over the Barcelona skyline,' he said. 'The custom performance traced each stop along the trip, with illuminated images and music reflecting the local flavor. It was a one-of-a-kind finale that no individual traveler could recreate, and the attendees were absolutely captivated.' Layered Experiences Planners like Orlando believe that the future of incentive travel isn't defined by extravagance — it's defined by intentionality. 'Incentive travel is absolutely still rooted in the idea of providing something irreplicable, but the currency of exclusivity has changed,' she said. The incentive industry's answer is 'layered experiences,' those which extend beyond a single wow moment to create 'layers of surprise + delight.' Attendees want to spend meaningful time with real people (even better if they're famous), like the private cocktail event and culinary experience hosted by a Food Network celebrity chef at her personal estate, curated by One10. 'These personalized itineraries go beyond, focusing on meaningful engagement, cultural authenticity, and surprise elements that align with our clients' goals,' said Kandice Watson, director, purchasing & design. During another experience, the well-known Neo-Pop artist Peter Tunney not only gave the group a personal tour of his Wynwood Walls gallery and shared stories about his life and art, he then took them on a guided tour of the entire Wynwood Walls complex. 'Peter's personality is so unique, and his stories are captivating,' said Jennifer Gruebner, director of sales at Just Right! Destination Management. 'They could have stayed there with him for days.' Elevoque recently designed an incentive program for a wellness brand that brought 200 top performers out into the fields and farms where their product line is grown. They got a chance to speak directly with the farmers and food scientists, followed by a lunch served outside at the farm, which was broadcast to a global audience. 'Every detail was designed not only to impress, but to connect,' said Orlando. 'The future of incentive travel isn't defined by extravagance — it's defined by intentionality. It's no longer about the most luxurious destination or the flashiest five-star dinner. It's about the stories we tell through place, the emotional clarity we deliver through design, and lasting meaning.'
Al-Ahram Weekly
02-04-2025
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Museums and archaeological sites sparkled with Eid visitors - Museums
Nearly 175,000 Egyptians and foreign tourists flocked to explore the country's rich historical landmarks over the first two days of the Eid. 'The increase in visitor numbers is a testament to Egypt's appeal as a global cultural tourism hub. It also shows how eager Egyptians are to connect with their history and civilization,' said Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA). Khaled added that efforts are ongoing to enhance and upgrade facilities at museums and archaeological sites to make them more tourist-friendly and to provide an exceptional visitor experience while ensuring the preservation of Egypt's historical treasures. Data from the digital ticketing system for archaeological sites and museums revealed that in descending order, the six most visited locations over the holiday are the Giza Pyramids (31,701 visitors), Karnak Temples (15,512 visitors), the Valley of the Kings (15,092 visitors), Egyptian Museum in Tahrir (12,869 visitors), Hatshepsut Temple in Luxor (12,656 visitors), and the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) (10,000 visitors). Meanwhile, the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) in Fustat received 5,000 visitors, while Salah El-Din Citadel welcomed around 7,000. To accommodate the high number of visitors and ensure a seamless experience during the Eid holiday, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, through the SCA, established a central operations room with a team of representatives from various SCA sectors tasked with monitoring visitor flow and ensuring efficient management at key sites throughout the holiday. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Higher prices for tourists are becoming the norm – and Britain should get in on the act
For all their quirks, you can't fault the Japanese for their common sense. As a case in point, just look at the mayor of Kyoto, Koji Matsui, who recently announced that he is considering a higher price for tourists using the city's increasingly congested public transport network. With Japan facing a huge increase in tourism in recent years, Matsui-san isn't the only one looking to take steps to make visitors pay a little bit more in order to compensate for the cheaper yen. Reports of Japanese restaurants and bars charging higher prices for foreigners have been rife in recent years, with the best deals reserved for those able to order from a Japanese-language menu. While dual pricing remains somewhat of a taboo, some Japanese establishments have begun defending the practice – although not for the reason you might expect. One Tokyo restaurateur, Shogo Yonemitsu, told journalists that the extra charge (around £5) levied on non-locals was justified given that tourists very rarely spoke any Japanese and, thus, required extra attention from the service staff. You can't fault the logic there. But is the extra reasoning really necessary? Surely, two-tier pricing can be justified on the much simpler basis that charging extra for tourists – particularly those benefiting from a steep currency discount – is a good idea in its own right and almost always morally justified to boot. There's a reason that the practice is widespread across much of what development-types like to call the Global South. Attractions from the Giza Pyramids and the Taj Mahal to Machu Picchu have offered discounted prices for locals for decades. Sometimes the gap can be steep: at Galápagos National Park in Ecuador, Westerners can expect to pay five times as much as locals – and quite rightly so. Traditionally, two-tier pricing has been justified by the imbalance in purchasing power. But now, the practice is increasingly being adopted by richer countries too. Just last month, no less a figure than President Macron of France announced plans to fund the upkeep of the Louvre by charging higher entrance fees to non-EU nationals – including Britons – from next year. The Louvre isn't alone on that front. The Alhambra palace in Spain and the Acropolis in Athens both operate a similar system, with discounted prices for locals and other EU nationals. (In case you're curious, the inclusion of 'other EU nationals' is to keep on the right side of Brussels' law, which forbids countries from discriminating against their fellow EU citizens). While the practice is less established in the US, it is starting to make an appearance in those States which attract the lion's share of tourists. In New York, locals visiting The Met gallery are encouraged to make a voluntary donation, for example, but are exempt from the usual $30 entry fee. Meanwhile, Disneyland has long offered discounted deals for Florida residents. Across the world, then, the picture is clear: higher prices for tourists are becoming the norm. And while we may grumble about having to pay our Brexit premium to see the Mona Lisa, perhaps we should be directing our energies to a much bigger question: isn't it time that Britain got in on the game? Anyone who spends time in London will be painfully aware that tourism numbers have been surging in recent years. According to the latest available figures, our capital city welcomed some 10.4 million international visitors in the first half of 2024. That's a 10 per cent increase since 2023 and 5 per cent more than in 2019, the last year of the pre-pandemic, pre-inflation world economy. Of course, more visitors means more money for businesses and government coffers alike. But that doesn't mean these levels of tourism don't bring their downsides. By some estimates, more than 1 in 100 homes within the capital has been converted into an Airbnb, meaning higher rents for those who actually live and work in the city. Then there are the specific cases where charging tourists is the only moral course of action. Take museums, for example. Free entry for those living in Britain makes sense, given that the vast majority of us contribute to their upkeep through taxation. But why should international visitors get to see the wonders of the British Museum without paying a penny? The museum's outgoing interim director, Mark Jones, made a similar point last year. 'It would make sense for us to charge overseas visitors for admission to museums, as they charge us when we visit their museums,' he told The Sunday Times. You can apply the same logic to our glorious national parks, some of which, like Snowdonia, have seen a massive surge in visitors since the pandemic. But rather than charge tourists more, Britain has a tendency to adopt systems which do the opposite – even if it is usually unintentional. Take the zone system on the London Underground, where longer journeys cost more. It may sound like common sense, but it also means that commuters end up shelling out more of their cash in order to subsidise tourists zipping between St Paul's and Oxford Circus. Nor should we lose sight of the fact that many of the tourists flocking to the Royal Mile or Covent Garden wouldn't wince at paying extra. They clearly haven't been put off by the already grossly inflated hotel prices in London and Edinburgh. Not to mention the fact that many of them are coming from the States, and are thus already saving money due to the stronger dollar. It's true that introducing tourist premium prices would require a bit of thinking. Flashing a British passport would be the obvious option, but that doesn't account for the large number of non-UK nationals living and working here. Needless to say, having the British Museum ask people to produce evidence of a recent gas bill would be infinitely stupider than the current system. But even with those wrinkles, I'm increasingly convinced that it's time the UK followed both Japan and France in squeezing a little extra from our international visitors. It might not be the way we've done things historically, but the wind is clearly blowing in one direction – and there are no prizes to be had standing in its way. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
19-03-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Higher prices for tourists are becoming the norm – and Britain should get in on the act
For all their quirks, you can't fault the Japanese for their common sense. As a case in point, just look at the mayor of Kyoto, Koji Matsui, who recently announced that he is considering a higher price for tourists using the city's increasingly congested public transport network. With Japan facing a huge increase in tourism in recent years, Matsui-san isn't the only one looking to take steps to make visitors pay a little bit more in order to compensate for the cheaper yen. Reports of Japanese restaurants and bars charging higher prices for foreigners have been rife in recent years, with the best deals reserved for those able to order from a Japanese-language menu. While dual pricing remains somewhat of a taboo, some Japanese establishments have begun defending the practice – although not for the reason you might expect. One Tokyo restaurateur, Shogo Yonemitsu, told journalists that the extra charge (around £5) levied on non-locals was justified given that tourists very rarely spoke any Japanese and, thus, required extra attention from the service staff. You can't fault the logic there. But is the extra reasoning really necessary? Surely, two-tier pricing can be justified on the much simpler basis that charging extra for tourists – particularly those benefiting from a steep currency discount – is a good idea in its own right and almost always morally justified to boot. There's a reason that the practice is widespread across much of what development-types like to call the Global South. Attractions from the Giza Pyramids and the Taj Mahal to Machu Picchu have offered discounted prices for locals for decades. Sometimes the gap can be steep: at Galápagos National Park in Ecuador, Westerners can expect to pay five times as much as locals – and quite rightly so. Traditionally, two-tier pricing has been justified by the imbalance in purchasing power. But now, the practice is increasingly being adopted by richer countries too. Just last month, no less a figure than President Macron of France announced plans to fund the upkeep of the Louvre by charging higher entrance fees to non-EU nationals – including Britons – from next year. The Louvre isn't alone on that front. The Alhambra palace in Spain and the Acropolis in Athens both operate a similar system, with discounted prices for locals and other EU nationals. (In case you're curious, the inclusion of 'other EU nationals' is to keep on the right side of Brussels' law, which forbids countries from discriminating against their fellow EU citizens). While the practice is less established in the US, it is starting to make an appearance in those States which attract the lion's share of tourists. In New York, locals visiting The Met gallery are encouraged to make a voluntary donation, for example, but are exempt from the usual $30 entry fee. Meanwhile, Disneyland has long offered discounted deals for Florida residents. Across the world, then, the picture is clear: higher prices for tourists are becoming the norm. And while we may grumble about having to pay our Brexit premium to see the Mona Lisa, perhaps we should be directing our energies to a much bigger question: isn't it time that Britain got in on the game? Anyone who spends time in London will be painfully aware that tourism numbers have been surging in recent years. According to the latest available figures, our capital city welcomed some 10.4 million international visitors in the first half of 2024. That's a 10 per cent increase since 2023 and 5 per cent more than in 2019, the last year of the pre-pandemic, pre-inflation world economy. Of course, more visitors means more money for businesses and government coffers alike. But that doesn't mean these levels of tourism don't bring their downsides. By some estimates, more than 1 in 100 homes within the capital has been converted into an Airbnb, meaning higher rents for those who actually live and work in the city. Then there are the specific cases where charging tourists is the only moral course of action. Take museums, for example. Free entry for those living in Britain makes sense, given that the vast majority of us contribute to their upkeep through taxation. But why should international visitors get to see the wonders of the British Museum without paying a penny? The museum's outgoing interim director, Mark Jones, made a similar point last year. 'It would make sense for us to charge overseas visitors for admission to museums, as they charge us when we visit their museums,' he told The Sunday Times. You can apply the same logic to our glorious national parks, some of which, like Snowdonia, have seen a massive surge in visitors since the pandemic. But rather than charge tourists more, Britain has a tendency to adopt systems which do the opposite – even if it is usually unintentional. Take the zone system on the London Underground, where longer journeys cost more. It may sound like common sense, but it also means that commuters end up shelling out more of their cash in order to subsidise tourists zipping between St Paul's and Oxford Circus. Nor should we lose sight of the fact that many of the tourists flocking to the Royal Mile or Covent Garden wouldn't wince at paying extra. They clearly haven't been put off by the already grossly inflated hotel prices in London and Edinburgh. Not to mention the fact that many of them are coming from the States, and are thus already saving money due to the stronger dollar. It's true that introducing tourist premium prices would require a bit of thinking. Flashing a British passport would be the obvious option, but that doesn't account for the large number of non-UK nationals living and working here. Needless to say, having the British Museum ask people to produce evidence of a recent gas bill would be infinitely stupider than the current system. But even with those wrinkles, I'm increasingly convinced that it's time the UK followed both Japan and France in squeezing a little extra from our international visitors. It might not be the way we've done things historically, but the wind is clearly blowing in one direction – and there are no prizes to be had standing in its way.
