Gaber is a Hurghada-based carpenter who spent years of his career working at a hotel in that famous sea-resort. Now he has shifted to a contracting company following the recent construction boom.
For Gaber and many other Egyptian hotel staff the shift is inevitable whenever an opportunity offers itself in another field. Simply put, any income generated through tourism is haram – prohibited under Islam.
“This is a sector where the bulk of profit is made through the sale of alcoholic drinks and hosting unmarried couples, related Gaber. “True, I didn’t work in bars, but it’s a feeling of guilt that I had always failed to overcome.
The same attitude can be traced among Egyptians, common people or otherwise. After Magdy Zaher got his BA in archaeology from the University of Alexandria, he refused to do the diploma qualifying him to be a tourist guide. Instead, he went to work as a shop-assistant at a department store in Dubai.
Holding the same view, Karim Saber, a driver at a tourist agent’s in Sharm El Sheikh, is looking forward to the change once something new comes up.
But dig a little deeper, and it becomes apparent that people from outside the tourism field share the same opinion.
More than 15 years ago the matter was brought to light by the BBC as part of a program that focused on the impact of tourism on Third World countries.
While pointing out that tourism is an important bridge between peoples and cultures, it also opens the eyes of ordinary people to the major differences in values and the standards of living between the West and developing countries.
Of late the Egyptian tourism authorities have launched a campaign to spread more awareness about the importance of tourism as one of the sources of national income.
The campaign came in the form of posters persuading citizens to believe that tourism is an income-increasing industry. But one wonders if entrenched negative opinions with regard to tourism can so easily be reversed with the issuance of a few posters and brochures.
There is the common perception that blond tourists are an embodiment of the Western monopoly on wealth worldwide and the centuries-old enmity harbored against their religion and culture. So much so that the terrorist attacks against tourists in Islamic countries are seen as a kind of retaliation against the maneuvers of Western politicians.
In theory, such grudges do exist, but how do they translate in practice?
“To some extent this attitude is common among ordinary people, regardless of whether they work in tourism or not, said Dr Abir Anani, a senior tourist guide and specialist in tourism at Ain Shams University.
“We shouldn’t ignore the influence of fundamentalist thought, which became prevalent with the beginning of the 1990s, and which reinforced the negative outlook on the hospitality industry. But this is insignificant compared to a number of other social factors nourished by poverty and ignorance, added Anani.
“Generally, people continue to be influenced by the local media, which has over the years created an unpropitious image of the blond foreigners, depicting them as colonizers or persons devoid of any values, he continued. Where is the positivity?
“Also, many look upon the tourists as money-laden coffers, which isn’t the case with the majority of them. If we also consider the low salaries offered to the bulk of those working in the tourism sector, we will understand why they would always tend to undermine tourism.
“I agree, said Anis Radwan, a radiologist. “Go and tell the majority of those who dismiss tourism that they will be able to generate a handsome amount of money serving this or that tourist group. I really don’t have to bet on their reaction.
“Most people here understand by instinct that the tourists, like us, are not responsible for the decisions taken by their governments, but the problem actually lies in how to employ tourism to serve the interest of the common people.
While Ahmed Abdel Rahman, head of the Egyptian Businessmen s Association for Tourism, Cairo, admits that many young people in the tourism industry are underpaid, he still stresses that the policy is justified.
“Many of them are not qualified and three are doing the job of one, explained Abdel Rahman. “Also, don’t forget that the boom that led to a dramatic increase in the number of hotels over the last 15 years has created a big demand that couldn’t be met by the labor market. The majority of those could only be deterred by the fact that hotels serve alcoholic drinks. But we can do nothing about it, he added.
Bassam El Shammaa, another senior tourist guide said: “Having worked for 20 years in the field, I can say with all confidence that questions relating to the gap in values, molestations and thefts are just minor annoyances that won’t ever affect the industry.
But while many are unconcerned about how tourism is regarded by the common people, many tourism officials believe that more should be done to spread awareness of the issue.
“Tourism awareness only exists within the offices of the Ministry of Tourism, and this is why its plans are usually at loggerheads with those of other ministries, said Abdel Rahman. “If this is the case on the official level, people should be excused if they develop a confused perception about tourism, especially in the absence of proper awareness campaigns. What is being done isn’t enough.
Abdel Rahman believes that the new awareness campaigns should begin at primary schools and target all those dealing with tourists, starting with bazaar owners, hotel staff and policemen. But in spite of the need, the ministry hasn’t started entertaining any awareness plans in a serious fashion, he says.
The recent boom in the tourism industry has resulted in the restoration of monuments, an increase in the number of resorts and hotels, and the lowering the rates of packages. And ambitious plans are being laid to increase the number of tourists over the next decade.
“But how could this be achieved amid the strict security measures currently being adopted in tourist cities? inquired Aref Abdel Nabi, an Egyptian encountered by Daily News Egypt at the Temple of Luxor.
“I think all the gains are being spent on security aimed at protecting tourists, so how are we to benefit from the industry? he said.
Most tourists are arriving in groups, leaving little space for independent travelers. Such an arrangement cuts out one of the joys of travel – individual discovery, said the Egyptian citizen.
Most Egyptians seem to be less concerned about these shortcomings. However messy the sector, they say, tourists will never cease to come and see the unrivalled attractions of Egypt. This may be true to some extent, but how long will such good luck last?
