WHILE tsunami-hit destinations like the Maldives and Thailand staged a big recovery in tourism in 2006, Bali suffered badly from terror attacks and the cultural side of Egypt saw big falls in visitors, says tour operator Kuoni.
In its review of the market for 2006/7, the award-winning long-haul operator says tourists who like temples and ancient cultures may be switching from Egypt to the Far East - to the ancient sites of Angkor Wat and the timeless appeal of China, currently 30% up in bookings for 2007.
Dubai is also losing appeal, possibly because of all the construction work under way - with Oman taking a rising share of its business as "Arabia's fastest new star", doubling its total of visitors during 2006.
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And although many of its immigration officials remain as aggressive as ever, Uncle Sam is bouncing back at last, with the weak US Dollar arriving in the nick of time to convince tourists the US can again offer great value for money.
Kuoni has also found that long-haul travellers are taking more time out of the office: the average length of its holidays is up from 13 to 14.5 days, and over 50% of its customers take holidays of 15 days or more, against 40% in 2005.
The operator says holiday demand is back to pre-tsunami levels in resorts like Phuket and Koh Samui, partly because many hotels in Thailand used the devastation as an excuse to reinvent themselves and to produce more of the "water villas which are becoming de rigeur around the world".
Upheaval
Despite the upheaval of a military-backed Government coup in Bangkok in 2006, Thailand is tipped by Kuoni to attract even larger numbers in 2007, thanks to its "superb combination of beaches, culture and vibrant city life".
Other destinations in strong demand include Kenya, Tanzania - with a "fantastic year" on the back of TV wildlife programmes - the "great outdoors" of Canada, and the Seychelles, 20% ahead in visitors and probably an even bigger hit in 2007 if its service standards can match the quality of the destination.
Curiously, Kuoni fears for Egypt's prospects - as Egypt proudly declares a record-ever number of British visitors.
Says a damning passage in the Kuoni Report: "We have sadly seen (Egypt) shift towards a 'stack 'em high, sell it cheap' approach to the Red Sea, with the danger of damaging the image of this majestic country.
"With the sheer quality of experience on offer in Egypt, and its unique cultural and historical appeal, we hope a balance can be struck between coastal and cultural tourism to ensure it remains an aspirational 'must visit' destination."
However, The Egyptian Tourism Authority has announced 1.03m Britons visited Egypt in 2006, a record-ever tally and 23% up on 2005 - putting Britain top of the league of overseas visitors to the country, followed by Russia in second place.
Egypt aims to double its total number of foreign visitors from 8m in 2004 to 16m in 2014.
Although it is keen to build up the number of tourists taking more expensive, cultural holidays in Europe, Kuoni's current Limited Editions brochure includes a special offer of seven nights' B&B in Luxor and return flights, from £299 between January 29 and April 30.
Current best buys there include seven nights B&B in Luxor from February 5 from £239, and seven nights' half-board in Taba from March 3 from £265, both through Sky Holidays.
