CAIRO: The objective behind volunteer tourism is to “make the tourist interact more with the Egyptian person,” explained Mohamed Mohie, business analyst at Abercrombie and Kent travel agency, at a workshop held last week.
The US Embassy in Cairo brought together a group of Egypt’s leading tourism professionals, academics, and Ministry of Tourism officials for a workshop on developing volunteer tourism in Egypt.
“The US Embassy is excited to support this Egyptian-led partnership among Egyptian tour operators, NGOs, and the Ministry of Tourism,” said Assistant Cultural Attaché Michael Hankey.
“Volunteer tourism can help Egypt harness its rich cultural heritage and dynamic people to expand economic opportunity.”
Volunteer tourism, or voluntourism, unites volunteering and community service with tourism by offering tourists the opportunity to help Egyptian communities and, in the process, experience the beauty of Egypt’s land and people in a manner seldom available to tourists.
Furthermore, Hankey explained that volunteer tourism improves the experience of tourists as they are able to connect with the natives and also gives them the opportunity to leave behind something tangible.
As part of the workshop, the participants also went on a tour around the United States on June 25 to study the best practices of volunteer tourism. The tour included various cities such as Washington D.C., Seattle and Colorado.
Bassem Salah, partner and director of operations at Great Wonders of Egypt travel agency, explained that they met with various organizations conducting a variety of different activities and learning about destination management, hospitality and even the US federal system.
Organizations they met with included Bridges of Understanding which organizes cultural exchange programs; Hands Along the Nile which supports NGOs and small business enterprises.
The group also met with travel agencies such as Evergreen Escapes, an eco-friendly travel agency. They learned about volunteer management from Washington Trails, an organization that is responsible for the maintenance of trails in the state of Washington.
“We want to collaborate in order to revive the volunteer tourism industry in Egypt and increase the interaction between cultures,” Salah said, commenting on their future plans after the tour and workshops.
“Especially after January 25, tourists want to come and help build the new Egypt,” Mohie pointed out.
Mohie said they will be including in their itineraries activities with NGOs and other foundations in order to promote volunteer tourism.
Professor of Tourism at Menufiya University, Nashwa Talaat, highlighted the need for awareness regarding the concept of volunteer tourism, making the people understand it and teaching them to be responsible travelers.
She noted that the “most important thing in volunteer tourism is overcoming the gap between the people.”
