Two Opposing Views on Egypt’s Tribal Tourism
- Image by CharlesFred via Flickr
Egypt Explores Tourism Beyond The Package Tour
A budding eco-travel movement is emerging, almost unnoticed amid the bulging tour buses and packed cruise ships. Its leaders are trying to tap into the skills and knowledge of Egypt’s Bedouins and other tribal peoples, who have been all but ignored by the mainstream tourism industry.
In late October, activists and businesspersons gathered with members of various Egyptian tribes in the remote southeastern desert to celebrate their heritage and traditions, and to explore ways of responsibly bringing people to the Egypt that package tour visitors never see.
The second annual Characters of Egypt festival featured Sinai Bedouins from the eastern hills, Nubian tribes from the south, and the tribes of the western desert from as far as the Siwa Oasis near the Libyan border.
It was a rare opportunity for the tribes to swap songs, stories, food and art, and to debate whether this new eco-travel movement could provide desperately needed jobs without forever changing their lives.
One of the founders of the tribal festival is Lynn Freiji, director of the Wadi Environmental Science Center.
Freiji says well-intentioned efforts these days focus too much on what she calls “the handicrafts plateau” — creating and marketing jewelry and carpets to tourists. She says the next step should be a sustainable travel sector that values the environment and relies on the knowledge and skills of those who live there.
Excerpted from an article by Peter Kenyon for NPR
Look Mommy, Brown People! Slum Tourism is Catching On
In Egypt, where tourism generates more than $10 billion in annual revenue, tourists used to content themselves to the comforts of Sharm el-Sheikh and the wonders of the Giza Pyramids. But maybe they drove past the fellaheen on the way and felt a teensy weensy bit guilty. You mean real Egyptians don’t live inside gold-encrusted pyramids? Now, the guilt of the white man can be assuaged by authentic, genuine Bedouin tours!
According to an NPR Feature, more groups are now offering tours of the Bedouin regions of Egypt and marketing it as “eco-tourism.” Watch as little desert boy rides a camel! Look at that nomad woman weaving a basket! See the tribal men in their long robes!
Of course, most of these groups claim noble motives. In Egypt, Bedouins can receive income by serving as guides.
But I just can’t get over the concept of rich people trying to ease their consciences by leaving their plush hotels and “slumming it” for an hour or two during their 10-day vacation. So you see what it’s really like to live in a developing nation or a poverty-stricken neighborhood – what next? Do you go back home and feel better because at least you saw what other tourists did not? Do you do anything about it? Do you organize or advocate for the people whose homes and lives you gawked at? Do you even think about it again? Yes, you probably do – as you’re showing the photos from your digital camera to friends back home.
Excerpted from an article by Aisha Gawad for elan
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