Débora Rubin*
São Paulo – Maria Izabel Costa is not of Arab descent. She is only curious about that universe. It was this interest that made her set up a tourism agency specialized in the Arab countries, Egypt in particular. AbbaTour was established in 1994 and, in the beginning, answered to religious groups interested in travelling to the Holy Land. In one of the trips, a preacher refused to go to Egypt, as he said it was "an evil land". "I was disgusted. From that moment on I decided that what I most wanted to do was show Egypt to these groups. After all, it is the cradle of civilization," recalls Izabel. Today, of the 19 packages available at the agency, ten are to Egypt.
Apart from traditional packages, there are also cultural trips accompanied by specialists in Egyptology. In January and February, two groups will be leaving with this objective. One will take a cruise on the Nile, in the company of professor Marisa Castelo Branco and another will go on "Cultural Egypt" with professor Júlio Gralha. "I do not like trips that are restricted to tourism, I believe that we can always learn a little more," stated Izabel.
The guided trips started thanks to the frustration of a client. "She was a history student who greatly wanted to travel to Egypt but had no money. One day, her mother gave her the trip as a present," explained the owner of AbbaTour. Unfortunately, the girl went on a trip with retired people who wanted to buy and avoided museums.
"When she got to the Library of Alexandria, she wanted to enter but the ladies did not accept. There was no negotiation. She cried and called me to tell me that she wanted to help organize cultural trips," explained Izabel. And that is what happened. Nowadays it is she, the frustrated tourist, who has become a guide.
Apart from Egypt, Izabel takes groups to Jordan, Tunisia and Lebanon – whenever possible. This year, a group that went there arrived in Jordan on the day the war began in Lebanon, in July. "We changed our destination and went to Egypt. We only told the tourists what had happened when we got there," recalled the owner of the agency. It was a group of retired nurses who has been travelling with Abba since 1996. In the end, it all worked out.
There are risks. And Izabel makes a point of giving her tourists clues and guaranteeing their safety. Before leaving, she sends a list with the names of each of her clients to the Brazilian embassy of each of the countries to be visited. Apart from that, she recommends, "if possible, keep away from Jews and Americans." Finally, in risky moments, like when crossing the desert, she hires more security people.
Izabel, who has been to Egypt 15 times, to Lebanon three and once to Iraq, has already been very near to attacks. I was in Luxor in 1997 when 58 tourists were killed in front of Hatchepsout Temple, and last year, when I was in Cario there was a suicide bombing at Khan al Khalili bazaar. "And I am alive to this day," she jokes. "I tell my passengers that the risk is the same as waking around São Paulo in the days of the PCC (criminal faction) and in Rio. It is all a question of taking the necessary precautions," she advises.
Her clientele is very eclectic. Basically, they are people who love the Middle East, who are curious about the Arab universe. They are people who frequently spend years saving money to realize their dream of going there, as the trips cost on average US$ US$ 3 mil. "And there we are very well treated. The Arabs know how to receive visitors very well," guarantees Izabel. But the agency does not live just off Arab trips. There are also routes to England, Turkey, Greece and Argentina.
New destinations
For next year, the list of options offered by AbbaTour should grow. Sought by Qatar Airways, Izabel has closed packages with them to send tourists to Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Apart from the Arabs, she is also going to include trips to India.
AbbaTour
Site: www.abbatour.com.br
Telephone: (+55 11) 3258 1100
*Translated by Mark Ament
