Meet Rania Abu Shady, Operations Director at Tarot Tours.
Rania has been with Tarot Tours through some of Egypt’s most defining moments: the January 25th Revolution, the troubling years that followed, and the global pandemic.
She’s the person to handle every part of a journey and still find time to dance with the guests.
That warmth and precision have turned her into one of the pillars holding a travel company together through instability.
We sat down with her to find out how she manages on-ground operations during uncertainty without compromising on standards.
The Face of the Experience
Ask Rania what her core focus is when building a team, and she doesn’t mention logistics.
“The most important thing is to motivate the team and make them feel special and important. Each one of them makes an impact, and that impact is what generates more business.”
For a company whose staff live on cruises and become the face of the experience, that sense of individual importance is operational, not just motivational.
The details matter to Rania.
“A smile and a ‘Bonjour’ go a long way. All while keeping the professional distance that makes a guest feel hosted rather than managed. This is the real Tarot Tours experience.”
To maintain that high spirit, she makes sure appreciation and gratitude are communicated continuously. Not reserved for difficult moments.
This is part of how the team is held together on an ordinary day. So, when an extraordinary one arrives, they are already steady.
Managing Travel During Uncertainty
Rania ran operations through some of the hardest chapters Egypt’s tourism industry has faced.
The January 25th Revolution in 2011 and its subsequent unrest caused a 54% drop in tourism revenues over three years. Then, after the outbreak of COVID in March 2020, 70–80% of future bookings in Egypt were cancelled.
She reflects on how hard it was to manage a full team affected by each event.
“Having false hope for long periods of time is really hard. Keeping the team’s spirit up through sustained uncertainty, that’s the part no one talks about.”
On the ground, each crisis demanded something different. Routes shifted. Itineraries were recalibrated.
“Luckily, Egypt is large enough that when one path is closed, another can be found. The logistics, over time, became instinctive.”
However, COVID came to test something different.
“Applying social distancing while keeping the warm, family feel of Tarot Tours was genuinely challenging. You’re trying to deliver hospitality under masks, delivering the feel of a smile without the guest seeing your face.”
This took time. And it took a team willing to relearn what hospitality looked like under entirely new conditions.
This team, she says, really came through.
“Our staff were simply impressive, not only with the guests but also with each other. We were getting fewer guests at these times, and we didn’t want to let anyone go. The team would take turns on tours and share whatever money they earned, so everyone would have a share.”
For Rania, that was the silver lining of those tough years.
“It showed me that people at Tarot Tours really do their jobs out of love, not out of fear.”
Keeping the Guest Experience Intact
You’re sure the logistics are in place and the team is holding up. Yet, another challenge remains: keeping partners confident and guests steady.
That work starts before anyone boards a flight.
“Having well-rounded and strong general knowledge is extremely important. Top management, guides, and team members need to address questions from tourists and operators honestly and diplomatically. We can’t exaggerate or undermine a situation.”
During the journey, the staff carries something closer to emotional attentiveness than a service script.
“These times really showed us the importance of what we had been working on: training the staff on guest psychology. To read a guest’s state of mind and act accordingly. Our guests must feel comfortable and heard always, and during uncertain times especially.”
A guest who catches a worrying headline can panic quickly. If that moment isn’t handled well, it spreads. The greatest risk to the experience here isn’t the external factors but the internal ones.
This is where cultural fluency becomes the key to maintaining the operational standard.
“Understanding the culture of the guest is super important. You can’t understand guest psychology if you don’t have a solid grip on their background and culture. This is always a prerequisite, but it became especially important during that past decade.”
What Travelers Are Looking For
At ITB Berlin this year, Rania noticed a shift in her conversations with global agents and operators.
“People were asking about the places that are less overcrowded. Places like Siwa and the more secluded parts of Sinai.”
The traveler coming out of successive years of instability is more deliberate.
“I think travelers’ expectations have changed. I’ve noticed they are less interested in the obvious sites and more interested in deep experiences.”
Travelers are looking for experiences that feel more intentional, but they also want reassurance that those experiences will be handled smoothly.
With that comes a stronger reliance on operators they can trust to handle the changing travel requirements. Experts who can deliver a consistent standard of on-ground operations during uncertainty.
“We’re also seeing an increased interest in cruises. I expect that operators will continue prioritizing Nile cruise itineraries to meet demand.”
The 7- to 14-day cruises are the most in demand this year. Rania sees this as the perfect time for longer Nile cruise itineraries that cover Egypt from North to South.
“I think we’re very lucky that a lot of these trends work in our favor. We’re expanding our small group journeys and our unique excursions. We’re also planning to launch the more intimate Melouk & Malekat Dahabeyas very soon. We believe they’ll gain a lot of traction from the modern travelers looking for exclusivity.”
No One Makes It Alone
Rania is straightforward about what has kept Tarot Tours on the map through every difficult period.
“People forget. We build resilience among the team. And our presence at events builds trust with our tour operators, their agents, and the guests. That’s what keeps us on top of their minds. And that’s what gets us back on track.”
And in the end, Rania says that on-ground operations will always survive on shared trust and confidence.
“Our line of business can’t be held by one person alone. It takes a team of executives, guides, and overseas agents, all moving together to deliver a confident experience. In hard times, especially if one part loses faith, everyone feels it.”
After the past decade, operators have learned that uncertainty is part of modern travel. The best reassurance you can offer global travelers is the guarantee that their trip will go on to the same standard.
You have your contingency plans. You have your team. It is, as it has always been, business as usual.
Explore our Egypt itineraries and our Nile cruise ships, or get in touch with Tarot Tours to build your own unique 2026/27 Egypt program.
