The Egyptian General Tourist Guides Syndicate relies on the support provided by the Ministry of Tourism, and is becoming unable to support its members due to the worsening living conditions, requiring the need to allocate part of the income of tourists’ stay in favor of tour guides by not less than $10 per night on the cultural trip programme.
Minister of Tourism Yahya Rashid issued a decree increasing the fees of tour guides to EGP 700 per day and EGP 400 for a half day of work, according to a statement issued by the Egyptian Travel Agencies Association.
The statement, obtained by Daily News Egypt, said that work for a full day is eight hours and one day is four consecutive hours.
Ministerial Resolution No. 209 for the year 2011 set the fee of tour guides at EGP 300 for a full day of work, but tour operators do not apply the law, according to an official at the Egyptian General Tourist Guides Syndicate (EGTGS). The official described the increase as failing in favor of guides to enhance their living conditions in the coming period.
The union official said that the living conditions of more than 10,000 guides are very difficult amid the decline of tourist traffic to Egypt over the past six years.
He explained that the Egyptian General Tourist Guides Syndicate relies on the support provided by the Ministry of Tourism, and is becoming unable to support its members due to the worsening living conditions, requiring the need to allocate part of the income of tourists’ stay in favor of tour guides by not less than $10 per night on the cultural trip programme.
He explained that a large number of guides left their jobs after tour operators dispensed their services following the decline of culture tourism to Egypt over the past year, which made their living conditions worse. These guides have turned to working in the fields of translations or other jobs.
The tourist traffic to Egypt declined during the past year to 4.5 million tourists, down from 9.5 million last year—a decline of 40%.
The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism aims to boost the number of tourists coming to Egypt to 10 million at the end of this year, up from 4.5 million last year, a Tourism Ministry official told Daily News Egypt.
Cultural tourism is the main source of the work of tour guides in Egypt. This type of tourism was the most impacted over the past six years, when incoming trips from Western European countries, especially Britain and France, were suspended.
The official at the syndicate said that raising the daily fees for tour guides will be a good thing, but still hangs on the inflow of foreigners and tourists to the archaeological areas.
