Tourism - worries over future between turmoil, Islamists

[DJKeefy]

Hit by new unrest, Egypt's tourism industry worries over future between turmoil, Islamists.

At Egypt's Pyramids, the desperation of vendors to sell can be a little frightening for some tourists.

Young men descend on any car with foreigners in it blocks before it reaches the more than 4,500 year-old Wonder of the World. They bang on car doors and hoods, some waving the sticks and whips they use for driving camels, demanding the tourists come to their shop or ride their camel or just give money.

In the southern city of Aswan, tour operator Ashraf Ibrahim was recently taking a group to a historic mosque when a mob of angry horse carriage drivers trapped them inside, trying to force them to take rides. The drivers told Ibrahim to steer business their way in the future or else they'd burn his tourist buses, he said.

Egypt's touts have always been aggressive _ but they're more desperate than ever after nearly two years of devastation in the tourism industry, a pillar of the economy.

December, traditionally the start of Egypt's peak season, has brought new pain. Many foreigners stayed away because of the televised scenes of protests and clashes on the streets of Cairo in the battle over a controversial constitution.

Arrivals this month were down 40 percent from November, according to airport officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.

Tourism workers have little hope that things will get better now that the constitution came into effect this week after a nationwide referendum. The power struggle between Islamist President Mohammed Morsi and the opposition threatens to erupt at any time into more unrest in the streets.

More long term, many in the industry worry ruling Islamists will start making changes like banning alcohol or swimsuits on beaches that they fear will drive tourists away.

"Nobody can plan anything because one day you find that everything might be OK and another that everything is lost. You can't even take a right decision or plan for the next month," said Magda Fawzi, head of Sabena Management.

She's thinking of shutting down her company, which runs two hotels in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh and four luxury cruise boats on the Nile between the ancient cities of Luxor and Aswan. In one hotel, only 10 of 300 rooms are booked, and only one of her ships is operating, she said. She has already downsized from 850 employees before the revolution to 500.

"I don't think there will be any stability with this kind of constitution. People will not accept it," she said.

Tourism, one of Egypt's biggest foreign currency earners, was gutted by the turmoil of last year's 18-day uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Scared off by the upheaval, the number of tourists fell to 9.8 million in 2011 from 14.7 million the year before, and revenues plunged 30 percent to $8.8 billion.

This year, the industry struggled back. By the end of September, 8.1 million tourists had come, injecting $10 billion into the economy. The number for the full year is likely to surpass 2011 but is still considerably down from 2010.

For the public, it has meant a drying up of income, given that tourism provided direct or indirect employment to one in eight Egyptians in 2010, according to government figures.

Poverty swelled at the country's fastest rate in Luxor province, highly dependent on visitors to its monumental temples and the tombs of King Tutankamun and other pharaohs. In 2011, 39 percent of its population lived on less than $1 a day, compared to 18 percent in 2009, according to government figures.

For the government, the fall in tourism and foreign investment since the revolution has worsened a debt crisis and forced talks with the International Monetary Fund over a $4.8 billion loan.

Morsi has promised to expand tourism, but hotel owners and tour operators say he has yet to make clear any plans.

Their biggest fear is new violence causing shocks like December's. Ibrahim, of the Eagle Travels tourism company, said that because of this month's protests, two German operators he works with cancelled tours. They weren't even heading to Cairo, but to the Red Sea, Luxor and Aswan, far from the unrest.

But some in the industry fear that, with the constitution's provisions strengthening implementation of Shariah, Islamists will ban alcohol or restrict dress on Egypt's beaches, which rival antiquities sites as draws for tourism. Officials from the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsi hails, are vague about any plans.

Ultraconservative Salafis, who are key allies of Morsi, have been more direct.

Nader Bakkar, spokesman for the Salafi Nour Party, told a conference of tour guides in Aswan earlier this month that tourists should not be allowed to buy alcohol but could bring it with them and drink it in their rooms. Tourists should also be encouraged to wear conservative dress, he said.

"We welcome all tourists but we tell them ... there are traditions and beliefs in the country, so respect them," he said. "Most tourists will have no problem if you tell them" to bring their own alcohol.

One Salafi sheik earlier this year said the Pyramids and Sphinx should be demolished as anti-Islamic _ like Afghanistan's then-Taliban rulers destroyed monumental Buddha statues in 2001. Bakkar dismissed the comments as the opinion of one cleric.

But tour guide Gladys Haddad sees the Salafis' attitude as a threat, saying the constitution should have said more to protect Egypt's pharaonic heritage. "We are talking about a civilization that they do not acknowledge. They see it as idolatrous."

"Why would a tourist come to a resort if he can't drink?" said Fawzi, of Sabena Management. "People are coming for tours and monuments, and to relax on the boats. If they feel that restriction, why should they come?"

Nahla Mofied of Escapade Travels said the Islamists might restrict what tourists can "wear and do" but, given its importance to the economy, "they may not destroy tourism fully."

Complicating attempts to draw tourists back is the lawlessness gripping Egypt the past two years. With police supervision low, tourist touts increasingly assault guides and even tourists to demand business. In September, 150 tour guides held a protest against attacks by vendors.

"We have struggled with this problem since before the revolution, but now the situation is completely out of control," Ibrahim said.

At the Giza Pyramids, police seem indifferent to the touts. Camel-riding police even join in, pushing tourists to take rides.

Gomaa al-Gabri, an antiquities employee, was infuriated at the sight, shouting, "You sons of dogs" and a slew of other insults at a policeman trying to get money off a tourist.

"They're trying to take away my income," said the father of 11. "In Mubarak's time we wouldn't dare talk to them like this. Now I can hit him with a shoe on his head and he can't speak."

For some tourists at the Pyramids, the chaos is part of the experience.

"I just love it," British tourist Brian Wilson said. "You can't blame people wanting to make money."

Source: http://www.newser.com/article/da3djk9o0 ... mists.html

[Horus]

Welcome to Egypt!

[LovelyLadyLux]

Can't say anything in the article is new news and nothing that I hadn't expected.

[Ruby Slippers]

Personally, I don't mind the idea of no alcohol and conservative dress. I don't drink and I've always respected the Islamic dress code, although if the new rules stated all women to cover up completely - i.e. burkah etc. - I might have a problem with that!

[Winged Isis]

Well, I drink, but rarely and in small amounts i.e. one or two glasses of wine with a meal occasionally, or a cocktail or two when out on the town, so I wouldn't miss it either. I drink it for the taste, not the affect, unlike a lot of drinkers. I have had some long, loose-fitting cotton dresses made, with sleeves to my elbows and necklines above my cleavage and side splits from ankles to just below my knees for ease of movement. I wear these for comfort and coolness, if I am not in cotton tunic tops and pants, and if coincidently they don't offend the village, then that's a bonus. Maxi dresses are "in", anyway! But I'm with you on the burkah, RS.

[Horus]

Well I drink in moderation, but do enjoy it especially if relaxing, I dress to suit the climate so at times that means shorts and a Tee shirt, I do not go around bare chested regardless of the weather. I don't smoke, but don't object to other doing so outside or in a bar, my wife dresses conservatively and doesn't drink at all. I believe in the old adage of "when in Rome" and always try to adapt to a culture, what I won’t go along with though are restrictions imposed by religion. If those same people wish to abide by my countries customs and religious observances whilst visiting or living here then I will happily oblige them when I visit theirs. Like many things in life restrictions only bother you if they actually affect you directly, so many people who say do not drink, maybe don’t like sunbathing etc would probably just see these restrictions as quaint, whereas others would see them as curtailing their right to choose what they eat drink or wear. Others will see it as modesty and others as an attempt to be the guardian and judge of their morals for that is in effect what it is. Personally I think that Egypt has bigger problems in the years ahead and any silly restrictions will just add to the problem, but it is their country and if they wish to drive away tourists that is their choice, people are very fickle and will just go elsewhere, Egypt does not have a monopoly on sunshine or value as a holiday destination, money is welcome anywhere you wish to travel with it.

[LovelyLadyLux]

IF the Islamic conservative dress code comes in it MEANS the complete cover up. Our idea of conservative dress will hold no sway with them at all. We can't apply OUR standards of dress by saying "I have a loose dress with sleeves to my elbows" - that is showing way way way too much skin for the Islamic conservative dress code. How each sex dresses will be strictly imposed. It means hijab, long sleeves, no ankles showing for women and basically for men it means no western dress and probably the growth of a beard. Men will have a greater latitude in dress than women but not by much as 'dress code' is going to be imposed and enforced.

The same will apply to drinking. The highly conservative Islamist cares not that you only have one drink with a meal - no alcohol means none, nada, zip, ziltch and it comes with huge sanctions if you break this 'law'.......

I think if Egypt goes the highly conservative route it is going to put most tourists not even close to wanting to visit. Beaches will be segragated, dress codes will apply (ever see an Islamic women wading into the water in complete dress?) I think the very conservative will care little for tourism. They're answering to their higher calling. Life will be paradise when they pass from this one and the suffering they endure themselves (and IMPOSE on all others) is considered the burden they bear in this life. That their female counterparts are not educated, are not allowed to drive or even walk the streets solo IS the course they're going to follow.

It IS all speculative at this time but if Egypt adopts a path of conservative Islam life as most Egyptians know it now will change dramatically as I believe many in Egypt enjoyed having a 'western' twist to their life whilst following their own islamic muslim lifestyle.

[Ra-Mont]

Nader Bakkar, spokesman for the Salafi Nour Party, rightly says, "...there are traditions and beliefs in the country, so respect them." Well, traditionally, the ancient Egyptians were great imbibers of alcohol, as many tomb and temple wall reliefs make clear. In my opinion the present rulers have no real right to disapprove of great kings like Thutmose III or Ramesses II. Without them there might be no Egypt.

[Winged Isis]

IF the Islamic conservative dress code comes in it MEANS the complete cover up. Our idea of conservative dress will hold no sway with them at all. We can't apply OUR standards of dress by saying "I have a loose dress with sleeves to my elbows" - that is showing way way way too much skin for the Islamic conservative dress code. How each sex dresses will be strictly imposed. It means hijab, long sleeves, no ankles showing for women and basically for men it means no western dress and probably the growth of a beard. Men will have a greater latitude in dress than women but not by much as 'dress code' is going to be imposed and enforced.

The same will apply to drinking. The highly conservative Islamist cares not that you only have one drink with a meal - no alcohol means none, nada, zip, ziltch and it comes with huge sanctions if you break this 'law'.......

I think if Egypt goes the highly conservative route it is going to put most tourists not even close to wanting to visit. Beaches will be segragated, dress codes will apply (ever see an Islamic women wading into the water in complete dress?) I think the very conservative will care little for tourism. They're answering to their higher calling. Life will be paradise when they pass from this one and the suffering they endure themselves (and IMPOSE on all others) is considered the burden they bear in this life. That their female counterparts are not educated, are not allowed to drive or even walk the streets solo IS the course they're going to follow.

It IS all speculative at this time but if Egypt adopts a path of conservative Islam life as most Egyptians know it now will change dramatically as I believe many in Egypt enjoyed having a 'western' twist to their life whilst following their own islamic muslim lifestyle.

Yes thank you LLL, you are stating the obvious to us all. The world knows what are the Islamic laws on clothing and alcohol. I know very well my dresses, long-sleeved tops/pants and alcohol-intake levels are not what are considered acceptable to strict followers and I know equally well what they would prefer and expect. But my efforts are at least a bit better than those of many non-believers/tourists; at least I make an effort and respect the country's laws and customs. I don't swim in Egypt, don't wear shorts, don't expose my midriff, don't wear low-cut tops etc. That doesn't make me a paragon, just someone who tries to be sensitive to a culture, religion and laws different to mine and stay cool and comfortable in the heat. I am not trying to "apply my standards" to their country, that's my compromise until they demand more. I also know the strict followers wouldn't care about my efforts if they knew, but I do, my husband and his family do, and I know friends have told them that they do too. That's all that really matters to me. If the laws do change, demanding more, I will consider whether I comply or decide not to return.

[Horus]

I think you make a very good point Ra-Mont, it is only the legacy of past glory that keeps the modern Egypt viable, so those in power should not despise or belittle the debt that they owe to them.

[Winged Isis]

Succinctly put, RA and H. :-)

[LovelyLadyLux]

Gee - am glad I stated the obvious! Over 'n out...........

[Grandad]

The alcohol and dress code issue is no problem to us as we are only moderate drinkers, mostly wine with a meal and we always dress with total respect to local custom.

It would be nice however if, when we visit again in March, we could get some gin at the airport. We can get tonic at the little shop near the hotel, ice in the fridge (from bottled water) and lemons from the street. We DO enjoy a G & T on our balcony at sundown each evening.

[LovelyLadyLux]

My thinking is is that if the Fundamental Islamists take over they will feel no compunction at invading each and every aspect of everybodies life while you're on their 'soil' (so to speak). I think they're answering to a higher calling and will give no consideration to tourists or anybody not in total lockstep align with their view of the world.

We can define what we believe as being conservative however if it doesn't fall in line with their view of the world they're not going to bend to our definitions. I think it is going to be their inflexibility that will bring an end to tourism OR will slow it down to a grinding faltering pace.

[Ruby Slippers]

My thinking is is that if the Fundamental Islamists take over they will feel no compunction at invading each and every aspect of everybodies life while you're on their 'soil' (so to speak). I think they're answering to a higher calling and will give no consideration to tourists or anybody not in total lockstep align with their view of the world.

We can define what we believe as being conservative however if it doesn't fall in line with their view of the world they're not going to bend to our definitions. I think it is going to be their inflexibility that will bring an end to tourism OR will slow it down to a grinding faltering pace.

That and the crippling airline taxation! Here in the UK anyway! As Horus says, Egypt doesn't have a monopoly on sunshine and the prices of holidays there are making a heck of a lot of people look elsewhere.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Wasn't think about taxation but that is definitely a very good point.

I know that when I fly somewhere (other than when I take my broom and just go direct) IF I fly out of Vancouver, Canada (which is an international airport) vs Seatac, USA (again international airport) the PORT FEES and TAXES are way less in the USA.

From Vancouver Airport you do have to allow time to cross the border and allow about 3 hours to drive south to Seatac Airport BUT the fee differential can be several hundreds of dollars and when you start counting per person it makes a substantial different to the price of your holiday.

As the world economy has slowed it seems more and more countries are turning to tourism to try and attract money to their coffers and there are some really good travel deals out there. Some countries ARE bending over backwards to get their share of the tourist dollar.

Egypt does NOT have a corner on sunshine & nice weather and when I feel totally welcomed AND am guaranteed pretty decent accomodation/food/entertainment/water/parks/history as well as fun/fun/fun I'm having a hard time saying 'NO.' I might have gone back to Egypt except Mexico has taken top place with me lately. There are language differences, there are touts who can be more of less aggressive but by and large I can go to Mexico twice for what it costs me to travel to Egypt once. I'm also not going to have to deal with a country in political turmoil, am not going to be accosted in the street, don't have to particularly worry about all the 'stuff' that is happening in Egypt right now.....

I enjoyed Egypt but ??? Too many problems there and even as a tourist I don't want to inadvertently get caught up into any of them and I'm of a mind to think that over another period of time things are not going to get any more favourable for tourists.