Dear Sir,
I am frankly appalled by the state of Egypt’s tourism industry. I have spent two weeks touring the major sights in your country and never in all my travels have I been subject to the same degree of exploitation, harassment and outright fraud.
It pains me to speak ill of a country with such a proud history, but if remedial efforts are not made, I fear that there will be lasting and adverse consequences for Egypt’s economy domestically, and for its reputation internationally. Already, tourist arrivals have fallen by 40% since the pre-revolution era, partly affected by the uncertainty brought on by continued political upheavals.
But I contend that the problem is twofold – firstly, aspiring tourists are holding back, and secondly, previous visitors are not returning in sufficient numbers. The impact of this twin deficit is profoundly and painfully clear – hotels have closed down, tourism-related businesses have shuttered, relative income levels have dropped and unemployment is rife.
It is easy, of course, to put the blame on the revolution, and to say that little can be done until the world changes its mind about safety and security in Egypt. This thinking is as warped as it is worrying. The nation of Thailand faces chronic political instability, but the tourists are still ever-present. The tourist island of Bali suffered from the bombings in 2002 and 2005, but it recovered in record time. These places have had to contend with challenges similar to, if not greater than what Egypt has faced. And yet their tourism industries are in great shape. What are they doing differently?
The answer is better regulation. Tourists visit Thailand and Bali repeatedly because they feel welcome and safe. They go for a holiday, and simply have a holiday. In contrast, the typical Egyptian holiday rapidly disintegrates into a hellish experience of being deceived and exploited at every turn.
In my time in this country, I have been constantly overcharged by anything from 50% to 500% at most establishments. And I do not speak only of the obviously tourist-related activities – I face the same deflating experience in hotels, coffee shops, mini-markets, restaurants, roadside stalls and almost any point-of-sale where there are either goods or services to be procured. I get the sense that almost every vendor in the major cities will charge tourists what they think they can get away with, not what is fair.
And then there is the flagrant deception. I approach every country with an open mind and heart, but when one’s goodwill is being taken advantage of by every other person who approaches you on the street, the mind grows suspicious, the heart hardens and the reservoir of optimism which one starts with is inevitably depleted. I have been “befriended” by countless seemingly well-meaning passer-bys on the street, only to be steered into a souvenir shop or coerced into accepting an overpriced horse/camel/felucca ride. And when this ploy fails, they have the audacity of asking for baksheesh, or a tip. For what exactly I will never be able to fathom.
Consequently, tourists in Egypt quickly become cynical, defensive and frustrated. This is the worst possible way to have a holiday. And certainly not the way Egypt wants its tourists to feel if it wants a mutually rewarding relationship. It is no secret that a happy, secure tourist spends more time and money in any given destination. They will actively promote it to their friends and family. And most importantly, they will come back. Unfortunately, the majority of tourists who visit Egypt will not.
I have a few suggestions which in my opinion will help matters. I spoke about better regulation earlier, and let me expand on that:
1. Designated areas for vendors to offer tourist related-services. For example, if a tourist wants a horse/camel/felucca ride, he just needs to be aware of where the operators congregate. They do not want to be hassled by ten different people while walking down the street for a service they do not want. Touts who approach tourists outside of these areas must be severely dealt with.
2. Accreditation for establishments which publish prices and services in English, within a price range determined by trade associations and the government. It does not have to be comprehensive – tourists just need to know what the essentials cost e.g. a bottle of water, a soft drink, a postcard, a 3/5/10/20 km taxi ride, a hotel room etc. They will work out the rest. Obviously this has to be policed and regularly audited, but it is more than worthwhile. I reiterate that tourists will spend more if they feel that they are spending wisely.
3. The above can be augmented by a regularly updated essential goods/services price-list published on a website managed by the Ministry of Tourism. This resource should be prominently advertised at all tourist arrival points, and it will undoubtedly serve as a valuable reference for visitors to gain an understanding of how much things should cost in the country.
4. Dedicated counters at all major transportation hubs to issue pre-priced taxi coupons. One of the biggest culprits of tourist-exploitation in any country are often the taxi drivers. Regulated taxi fares from airports and railway/bus stations is an effective way to stamp this out, and has been successfully implemented in many countries.
5. Satisfaction surveys attached to departure forms. The ability to track how visitors feel, and how trends are evolving is crucial. Service-related companies in the private sector e.g. banks, hospitality and telecommunications companies spend billions on customer engagement. In these sectors, it is said that feelings are facts; nothing else matters. I do not see why the tourism industry should be any different.
6. Lastly, and most importantly, better education. It has to be impressed upon all players in the tourism industry that the mistreatment of tourists is immensely detrimental in the long run. Not easy to convince them of the long-term, big-picture view? Not true. Ecuador has done wonders with its efforts in transforming local mindsets to preserve the national treasure that is the Galapagos Islands. Thailand launched an “I love Farang (foreigner)” campaign to encourage locals to embrace visitors. I am sure Egypt can come up with its own ideas.
I believe it was the Greek historian Herodotus who wrote that “Egypt has more wonders in it than any country in the world”. Little has changed, and I genuinely feel that the saying still holds true today. But the country is let down by the unfettered, unapologetic abuse of tourists who go home angry and resentful. In travelling 2,000km by road and rail over vast stretches of this country, I have been on a rollercoaster of awe and amazement, regularly interjected with doses of disappointment.
But the less desirable component of the Egyptian Experience need not be there at all. In Port Said, Ismalia and Suez (where few tourists venture), I encountered great kindness and hospitality from people who were sincerely helpful. And (most) shopkeepers were perfectly happy to charge me exactly what the locals were paying. Spending time in these places gave me an entirely different perspective, and a much more favourable impression of Egypt. For this I am grateful. But unfortunately most tourists will never see this side of the country.
The major tourist cities of Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor and Aswan should learn from their less visited contemporaries. At the end of the day, it boils down to one simple principle: Most tourists don’t want to be treated better than the locals; they just want to be treated the same.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
SM Neoh
A concerned traveler
