In a time when travelling is an increasing trend, the majority of young Egyptians are frantic about exploring the world; but very few look towards local destinations first. A few months ago, an entrepreneur started a new move in order to encourage domestic tourism and explore the gems of his home country.
Hussein Heiba took off to a tour to the country’s rarely travelled to governorates last winter. Under the name of “Road to 27”, Heiba, along with a group of young local travellers, started an initiative in order to encourage his acquaintances to consider new destinations.
According to the founder, the main reason behind this was his frustration with people complaining without taking any positive steps.
Through their weekly journeys to various governorates, the group discovered geographical destinations, historical attractions, and even new friends at the end of every new journey.
While Heiba had started out almost alone on the first trip, along with his friend Kareem Ghoneim, today the group has expanded to include a good number of young individuals that set off to meet new people and visit new places.
The core team currently consists of eight individuals who handle everything ranging from PR to social media, videography, and, most importantly, the logistics of each and every trip. Nonetheless, a varying number of attendees join from time to time.
Along with the prescheduled calendar, the team also from time to time set off to unplanned trips to discover organic experiences and wander beside the old tracks.
According to the team, they have all found their way to the initiative through social media posts or on their friends’ recommendation. Shahd El Lamei, for instance, joined the team through social media posts that intrigued her to start travelling around Egypt. As El Lamei joined the initiative to encourage young friends to visit her father’s home town, Heiba had already organised a trip to Port Said as soon as she joined the team.
After this trip, Lamei was one of the many participants who discovered how little they knew about their own country compared to the rest of the world.
“I realised there are so many places inside our country that I had no idea about and it was time to start my journey of discovering the 27 governorates. The experience is amazing, I have learned so many things, explored different places, and I can’t wait to complete the journey,” Lamei told a local media source.
The growing team has already concluded trips to 10 governorates, including Ismailia, Beni Suef, Alexandria, Minya, and Fayoum. Meanwhile, their social media page is an ever-growing documentation of the country’s greatest hidden gems.
