Who we are ·
An Egyptian company, licensed in Cairo since 1988.No ATOL, no ABTA, and nothing hidden.
Egypt Discovery is the face we show British travellers; the company behind it is Discovery Tours Egypt, in Cairo. We are not a UK business, so we hold no ATOL and do not belong to ABTA. What we do hold is ETAA Licence No. 718, Category A, and IATA accreditation 90255546, and you can check both against registers we do not control.
- ETAA licence
- 718
- Category
- A أ
- IATA
- 90255546
- Licence issued
- 7 Feb 1988
- ATOL / ABTA
- Neither
For travellers from the UK
Three things to know before you book.
- 01
We are an Egyptian company, not a British one
Egypt Discovery is the name we use for British travellers; the company behind it is Discovery Tours Egypt, based in Cairo. We hold no ATOL and we are not members of ABTA, and we would rather you heard that from us now than found it out later. What we do hold is an Egyptian licence, set out below, and it governs our work inside Egypt.
- 02
Flights: please book them with an ATOL holder
We could sell international flights, but we choose not to. Book yours with an ATOL-holding agent or straight with the airline, so the flight carries the protection UK law gives it. Then tell us your arrival and departure times and we will plan around them. If you want a second opinion on timings, ask; we are glad to help.
- 03
Insurance, and paying by card
Please take out comprehensive travel insurance covering cancellation, medical care and repatriation. Our own liability cover is Egyptian and no substitute for yours. If you pay by credit card, Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act may give you protection on purchases of more than one hundred pounds and up to thirty thousand pounds. Whether it applies to your booking is a question for your card issuer, so please ask them before you rely on it.
What we do hold
Our licence, our accreditation and our insurance.
Our licence to trade
ETAA Licence No. 718
Category A
This single licence is what allows us to operate as a travel company in Egypt. It carries Category A, written أ in the Arabic register, the highest grade the system gives. Some pages elsewhere describe it as two separate credentials; it is one licence with one number.
What it allows
- Planning and running tours in Egypt under our own name
- Contracting hotels, Nile cruise vessels and transport directly
- Engaging qualified Egyptologist guides ourselves
The link opens licence 718 in the Association's own database: company name, category, date, Cairo address and chairman, all published by the regulator rather than by us.
A Ministry of Tourism permit for our Luxor office, issued under Law 38 of 1977, on ministry letterhead. It names company licence 718, the date of 7 February 1988 and our head-office address. We have blacked out two names, the Luxor building's private owner and the branch manager, as neither is a public officer of the company.
The international one
IATA Accreditation No. 90255546
Accredited agent
IATA accreditation is optional, and agencies earn it by passing financial checks and an inspection of their office. It lets airlines and overseas partners deal with us directly. As explained above, we do not sell international flights, so for you this is evidence of standing rather than something you will use.
What it allows
- Dealing directly with airlines
- Recognition by airlines and trade partners abroad
IATA's free Check-a-Code tool. Type in 90255546 and it names the agency the code belongs to. IATA keeps that database and we cannot change it.
Cover for our operations
Third-party liability insurance
Certificate on request
Our work on the ground is covered by a third-party liability policy placed with Al Watanyia Insurance in Egypt. There is no public register for it, so we send a current certificate to anyone who asks. Egyptian limits are lower than you may be used to, which is a further reason to travel with your own insurance.
What we can send you
- Current liability certificate, sent by email on request
Set against the register
What we say, and what the ETAA register shows.
The right-hand column is the Association’s public entry for licence 718, which we cannot edit. Small differences in wording are down to transliteration: أ is Category A in Arabic, the chairman’s name appears in the register’s own spelling, and Misr El Gedida is the Arabic name for Heliopolis. The one real difference is the email. The registry shows the company’s main address, info@discoverytoursegypt.com, while UK enquiries come to help@egyptdiscovery.co.uk.
| Detail | On this site | In the ETAA register |
|---|---|---|
| Company name in the register | Discovery Tours (the licensed company is Discovery Tours Egypt) | Discovery Tours |
| Licence number | 718 | 718 |
| Category | Category A | أ (A) |
| Date of licence | 7 February 1988 | 2/7/1988 |
| Chairman | Abdelmoneam Hassany | Abd el naeem hassany abd allah macky |
| Registered office | 12 El Obour Buildings, Salah Salem, Heliopolis, Cairo | Flat 6, Floor 3, Block 12 Elobour building, Misr Elgadida, Cairo |
| Telephone | +20 10 9021 5031 | 01090215031 |
| help@egyptdiscovery.co.uk for UK enquiries | info@discoverytoursegypt.com, the company's main address |
Which name will you see on your booking?
On this website we trade as Egypt Discovery. The licensed company behind it is Discovery Tours Egypt, whose legal name, as the ETAA register has it, isDiscovery Tours. All three are one business, and any of them may appear on paperwork, a bank transfer or a card statement.
If a charge connected with your trip turns up under some other name, it is not ours, so please tell us. We will never ask for your full card number by email, message or phone. Our payment page is the only place we take card details.
Open the register entry— it goes straight to licence 718. Our head office is at 12 El Obour Buildings, Salah Salem, Heliopolis, Cairo, and you can telephone us on +20 10 9021 5031.
Questions we are asked
Protection, flights and proof, in plain terms.
01Do you hold an ATOL or belong to ABTA?
No to both. We are an Egyptian company, so neither scheme applies to us. Our licence is ETAA No. 718, Category A, and our airline accreditation is IATA 90255546. If protection for the flight matters to you, and it usually should, buy it from an ATOL holder.
02Can you book my flights from the UK?
We do not sell international flights, although we could. We suggest an ATOL-holding agent or the airline itself. Once you have times, send them across and we will fit your transfers and first day around them. We are also happy to talk through which arrival and departure times suit the itinerary.
03What insurance should I buy?
A comprehensive travel policy that covers cancellation, medical treatment and repatriation. Read the exclusions for any activity you have in mind, such as a hot-air balloon flight or a desert trip. Our own liability insurance protects our operations, not your trip, so it should not stand in for yours.
04Will Section 75 cover my booking if I pay by credit card?
It may. Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act can make a card company jointly liable for purchases of more than one hundred pounds and up to thirty thousand pounds paid on a credit card. Whether it reaches a payment to an overseas company depends on how you pay and on your card issuer, so please check with them before you book. We cannot promise it applies.
05How can I check that you are a real, licensed company?
Open our ETAA registry entry, linked at the top of this page. It shows licence 718, Category A, our Cairo office and our chairman, published by the Association. Compare its phone number with ours. The email differs because the registry holds our main company address, while UK enquiries come to help@egyptdiscovery.co.uk.
06Is 718 a membership number or a licence number?
It is the licence number. You may see ETAA membership and a Ministry of Tourism licence described as two credentials, but they are the same thing: one licence, number 718, Category A, granted on 7 February 1988.
07Can I see the paperwork?
The Luxor office permit is published on this page. Our liability insurance certificate is yours for the asking, by email, and so is anything else a corporate booking or your insurer needs. Just write to us and say what you need.
Need something in writing for your insurer, your employer or your own peace of mind? Tell us what, and we will send it.
Offices and teams in Cairo · Luxor · Aswan · Hurghada · Marsa Alam · Sharm El Sheikh
– The Cairo office · Egypt Discovery