Amy Webb of Bucket List Egypt: The Future Of Travel In The Post COVID World
An Interview With Savio P. Clemente
A perfect vacation would include a little of everything for me. I want to see the old and the new. I want to experience history while also experience food, people, and culture. I also love to include a balance of different experiences like hiking, nature, and also relaxing on a beach without doing much. I love dedicating one day in my trip where I can experience people from the country and giveback or serve in any way possible.
As part of my series about “developments in the travel industry over the next five years”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Amy Webb.
Amy Webb has worked to create brand awareness for leading entertainment brands, including the NBA, iHeartMedia, and the NFL, through partnership campaigns, brand integration, and influencer marketing. She eventually started her own marketing company, Deyaa Marketing, working with top influencers and connecting them with leading brands. Amy graduated from California State University, Fullerton, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications. She is Egyptian American and grew up in Southern California. Amy is deeply passionate about positively impacting the country of Egypt through tourism and connecting travelers through a once-in-a-lifetime experience to Egypt as a travel destination. In 2019, along with partners Karim Refaat and Bassem Yassa, she co-founded Bucket List Egypt, a leading luxury travel service company to bridge the gap for travelers to travel to Egypt for an unforgettable experience.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I’m born and raised in Southern California. Throughout my life, when people found out I’m Egyptian, I would often get the answer “Egypt is on my bucket list. Will you take me one day?”
It wasn’t until when I turned 33 years old when I went to Egypt for the first time. I was completely blown away at the fact that this was my history. I wanted to share this moment with the world so next time someone asks me that question, my answer would be: Yes, I can take you!
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
Yes, it’s the story of my wedding. After coming back from my trip in Egypt, I told my then boyfriend (now husband), if we ever get married it will have to be in Egypt so everyone can experience what I experienced as part of our wedding celebration. We thought we would only get 30 people to say yes to a 10-day wedding trip on the other side of the world, but we ended up having a sold-out trip with no room availability and over 100 guests who traveled from the US and Canada.
More people wanted to join but we couldn’t fit them in so that’s when light bulbs went off. I spoke with my friends Karim Refaat and Bassem Yassa who equally shared their passion of helping people get to Egypt in a fun and safe way. We then started our company, Bucket List Egypt.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I made the mistake of jam packing our itinerary for my wedding trip! I wanted our group to experience as much as possible but didn’t realize that transporting a large group from one destination to the next, requires time. My dad made sure to tell everyone he felt like it he was in boot camp with the strict timelines I created. I then realized ok, people need to rest too! I began to change things around to mix in leisure time and still explore the best sites.
Now, I always make sure I ask guests how much do you want see and how much do they need to relax when taking a trip like this.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”? Can you share a story about that?
Be patient and believe in the big picture. Our company, Bucket List Egypt, started just three months before the pandemic hit! However, my partners and I saw the vision of the needed service, and that travel will not go away any time soon.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
I am grateful for my husband who really encouraged me to go on this journey of becoming an entrepreneur and believing in what we were creating with my partners. I also love that he knows more about Egyptian history than most Egyptians. He’s always been intrigued by the history of Egypt, and he wants to share his own experience with others.
Thank you for that. Let’s jump to the core of our discussion. Can you share with our readers about the innovations that you are bringing to the travel and hospitality industries?
We aren’t doing traditional travel agency groups where they bus big groups who don’t know each other. Our goal is to personalize each of our guest’s experience. Some guests want to hit the night scene. Some want to experience the history and culture, or may want to experience spirituality and religion. Some groups may want to have the coolest photo in front of the pyramids, while others may just want to relax on a beach. Bucket List Egypt can curate so many different experiences depending on what our guest wants to do and also recommend ideas they may not event know Egypt has to offer.
Which “pain point” are you trying to address by introducing this innovation?
We are trying to address that one size does not fit all. Especially when going to a country like Egypt where there is so much to do and experience but you also need to know how to get around and not wing it when you get there. Pre-planning your trip before going to Egypt is highly recommended and the safest thing you can do to ensure the best possible experience.
How do you envision that this might disrupt the status quo?
We are tapping into a new market by co-creating with our guests. We are disrupting the “who” of the typical Egyptian tourist. In the past, a typical tourist was usually a bit older in age, more established, and just want to make it a trip centered around ancient history. Egypt has so much more to offer like beaches, desert camping, desert hiking, spiritual retreats and we are tapping into younger audience who are equally as interested in history, culture, and arts.
As you know, COVID19 changed the world as we know it. Can you share 5 examples of how travel and hospitality companies will be adjusting over the next five years to the new ways that consumers will prefer to travel?
We are flexible about changing dates and travel time during these uncertain times and offer a 12-month date change.
We only work with accommodations and venues who have strict health and sanitation guidelines. These company are vetted and we know they are being proactive in cleanliness and health guidelines
All workers we work with in Egypt are required to be fully vaccinated
There is intense training with our team, especially following COVID-19 guidelines
We do our best to continually social distance as much as possible and have spacious room for our guests.
You are a “travel insider”. How would you describe your “perfect vacation experience”?
A perfect vacation would include a little of everything for me. I want to see the old and the new. I want to experience history while also experience food, people, and culture. I also love to include a balance of different experiences like hiking, nature, and also relaxing on a beach without doing much. I love dedicating one day in my trip where I can experience people from the country and giveback or serve in any way possible..
Travel is not always about escaping, but about connecting. Have you made efforts to cultivate a more wellness driven experience? We’d love to hear about it.
Bucket List Egypt recently partnered with Spiritual Detox and created a wellness retreat to Egypt. This retreat is focused on mediation, yoga, sound bath, and healing in temples and on the Nile River. We worked on establishing vegan food options for everyone. What was very powerful about the trip was that it aligned with how ancient Egyptians used to live in harmony with the universe.
Can you share with our readers how you have used your success to bring goodness to the world?
A big component that we want to always offer to our guests is that they can do philanthropic work while they are in Egypt. We have worked with influencer, Adam Waheed (Egyptian/American influencer from the US) who went to local schools in trash village and spent the day with the kids making them laugh and brought joy to their day.
During our wedding trip, we also dedicated the first day as a day of service. Instead of a registry, we asked guests to bring clothing, school supplies, essential items, and kid items to give away at trash village where most of the people living there have to live through trash to make a living. We want to grow our philanthropic partnerships and hope that guests will want to spend a day or afternoon giving back to people who are very much in need in Egypt.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I would start a movement where you can bring two luggage to any vacation you take. One luggage is for yourself and items you will need for your vacation. The other luggage is items that you are willing to giveaway to people in that specific country.
I would ask hotels to help with distributing these items to people who are in need in the area. I would also ask the airlines not to charge for the extra luggage if it is enrolled in this program so the country you visit has an exchange of receiving and giving. You will have an empty luggage afterwards to purchase items in that country and have plenty of room to take it back with you!
How can our readers follow you on social media?
-Website: www.bucketlisteg.com
Email: info@bucketlisteg.com
Instagram: @bucketlistegypt
TikTok: @bucketlistegypt
Facebook: @bucketlistegytofficial FB
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
