Excursions for many people are an integral part of a vacation abroad, but their prices can differ significantly depending on the place of purchase. A Russian woman told in her Zen channel how hotel guides in Egypt deceive tourists.
Representatives of tour operators are trying to impose their excursions on clients, often using deception and intimidation. They say that hotel guides are more reliable, since they work at the hotel every day, while street guides can disappear at any moment. They tell how someone died during a walk bought on the street. They assure that in which case no one except them will help the tourist with insurance. Not the most fair methods of competition.
The Russian woman notes that the arguments of the tour operators are partly true, and the tour should not be taken in the first place that comes across. But hotel guides do not have special advantages and additional insurance. The insurance purchased with the ticket is valid during any excursion or other activity during the trip. At the same time, hotel guides ask for much more money for their services than the rest.
“By the way, I also once believed in all these horror stories. During our first trip to Egypt, we bought all the popular excursions at inflated prices. Then, of course, it was a shame to learn about the overpayment by 2-3 times,” the Russian woman writes.
In fact, there are only a couple of licensed tour organizers in Egypt who work with agencies as intermediaries. Each intermediary determines the final cost of the tour independently, depending on their appetites. Tour operators take advantage of their prestige and the inexperience of tourists by offering several times higher prices. Independent agencies rely on the availability of services, counting on a constant flow of customers. But in any case, the tourist receives absolutely the same excursion, just for different money.
In this regard, the question arises, where is it more profitable to buy excursions in Egypt. The Russian woman recommends looking for agencies independent of tour operators and hotels, comparing prices and checking reviews. In particular, in Hurghada she liked the Russian-speaking company Albatross Travel, with which she has already visited 4 excursions. Among the main advantages, the Russian woman notes prices that are 2 times lower than those of tour operators, as well as the ability to pay in rubles.
The Russian tourist does not recommend buying excursions on the street. They can be of the same quality and comfortable, but there are quite a few scammers among merchants who take an advance payment and disappear without a trace. Independent reliable agencies with positive reviews remain the golden mean.
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