Tourism

Rana Osama Sadek

R2211D15405004

Induction Module
47090
20th of January 2023
Living in a nation with seven world heritage sites, including the magnificent pyramids, the
city of Luxor, which is loaded with ancient Egyptian heritages, the grand Egyptian museum
in Cairo, and much more, I understand the importance of tourism to my country, Egypt.
And how it has a powerful effect on people, culture, economy and the environment. Ancient
Egypt was one of the world's first civilizations. Egypt has always had distinct and stable
civilizations that have affected other cultures throughout the world. Tourists usually come to
visit the country in holidays to witness the beauty of Egypt's land and people. In Egypt, you
can feel the hospitality of local people to foreigners as well as the positive vibes and kindness
that are usually seen in places and streets. Foreigners may also be seen in coastal cities more,
they fall in love with the weather and the calmness of the place that they may choose to
relocate and reside there.

I spent my childhood in Hurghada, a little city by the Red Sea. Our school's teachers were
mostly foreigners. They successfully communicated their culture and language to us pupils.
Other tourists who visited the city found the most welcoming people, and you might have
noted how local buyers can speak fluent Italian, German, English, and Russian. And how,
with all of these new hotels and residences being built, the city became more and more
beautiful every year, with new areas becoming more packed with new families. This is how
tourism impacted my little town's economy and culture.

According to my father, there was a time when terrorist attacks in the nation had a negative
impact on tourism. Hotels were losing visitors on a daily basis, and the city's residents were
immediately impacted by the absence of tourists. Small businesses such as gift shops,
bakeries, and local clothing stores struggled to make a profit during the month and were
forced to close. Tourism has a direct impact on a country's economy in this way.
And I honestly feel that we should encourage more people to visit my nation since I lived
during a period of increased tourism and observed how it benefited everyone.
The government has a plan and is doing its best to upgrade the infrastructure, addressing the
traffic problems and the development of local industries too. I believe the in the coming
years, the country will benefit from this plan and it will reflect on the country’s economy and
thus the people .

As explained by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) , Egypt is
often referred to as “Mother of the World,” as its cultural heritage has an importance on an
international scale. Egypt’s ancient sites and Red Sea coast attract visitors from across the
globe, with tourism accounting for about 10-15 percent of the Egyptian economy and
millions of jobs.

The US government has contributed more than $100 million over decades of collaboration to
safeguard Egypt's exceptional cultural heritage and help local populations benefit from the
booming tourism sector. USAID has collaborated with the Egyptian government on large-
scale engineering initiatives to safeguard some of Egypt's most prominent ancient sites from
increasing groundwater and flooding. These include the Sphinx, Karnak Temple Complex,
Luxor Temple, Valley of the Kings, Coptic Cairo, Bab Zuweila Gate of Fatimid Cairo, Edfu
Temple, Kom Ombo Temple, and the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa in Alexandria. USAID
has also helped save scores of additional monuments around the nation, including the Red
Monastery, Medinet Habu, and Theban Tombs of the Nobles. Furthermore, USAID has
committed millions of dollars in environmental conservation activities to promote sustainable
and eco-friendly tourism and conserve the Red Sea coastal ecology.

It’s not only Egypt that is directly affected by tourism. According to Yehia (2019), Tourism
is critical to the prosperity of many economies worldwide. Tourism has a number of
advantages for host cities. Tourism increases economic revenue, provides thousands of
employments, improves a country's infrastructure, and fosters a sense of cultural interaction
between outsiders and natives.
Tourism generates a substantial number of employments in a variety of industries. These
occupations may be in the tourism industry, but they may also be in the agriculture sector, the
communication sector, the health sector, or the educational sector. Many visitors go to
experience the culture, traditions, and cuisine of the host country. Local eateries, shopping
malls, and retailers benefit greatly from this.

We cannot talk about the effect of tourism on a nation’s economy and not talk about how it
may effect it’s environment. There is usually a lot of discussion regarding how tourism
affects the environment. Some activists believe that one of the reasons the environment is
affected and the global warming is increased is due to traveling. From another point of view,
I believe we should always protect our environment and avoid any actions that may harm our
globe. I also believe that tourism can help us take better care of our environment. When the
government in any country takes care of its climate changes, makes sure its roads and parks
are clean, and maintains small cities and tourist attractions, it will undoubtedly benefit our
environment.

As it is stated in The World Counts (n.d) “Tourism and the environment can be mutually
supportive. In a number of destinations, tourism helps to ensure higher water quality and
better protection of nature and local natural resources. It can generate additional resources to
invest in environmental infrastructures and services.”

But how can we maintain an eco-friendly traveling? Mishra (2022) advised that you can
always opt to travel green and be eco-friendly in order to protect the environment while
having fun as a tourist. Some of the ways are: using jute bags instead of plastic bags, taking
public transit, and purchasing organic items are just a few examples. There are always
methods to travel while also being environmentally conscious.

As a way of traveling green, experts suggest to look for airlines with more sustainable jet
fuel. You can also consider your accommodation options. Choose accommodations that use
greener practices. Look for local food. Hayhoe agreed. “When we travel, we can shop at local
farmer’s markets, eat lower down the food chain, not take our vacations as an opportunity to
have giant steaks every night,” Compton, N.(2021)

Moving on to Tourism and Culture, and how Tourism can affect culture in a positive way.
Have you ever heard about Cultural Tourism? Let me tell you what I know about this term.
People can benefit from traveling around the world by getting exposed directly or indirectly
to other cultures. As a result, this allows one to be more open to what is happening in other
countries and how they develop and function in their everyday life. This can be very
beneficial too if you are working in a field that requires to be more aware of life changes, like
Marketing field, Medical field, Architecture field and many others.

According to the definition adopted by the UNWTO General Assembly, at its 22nd session
(2017), Cultural Tourism implies “A type of tourism activity in which the visitor’s essential
motivation is to learn, discover, experience and consume the tangible and intangible cultural
attractions/products in a tourism destination. These attractions/products relate to a set of
distinctive material, intellectual, spiritual and emotional features of a society that
encompasses arts and architecture, historical and cultural heritage, culinary heritage,
literature, music, creative industries and the living cultures with their lifestyles, value
systems, beliefs and traditions”.

During my travels, I've noticed cultural differences as soon as I arrived in a new country.
People's greetings, conversations, and reactions to your manners. The way they seemed and
how certain cultures were friendly while others were hostile. For example, on my visit to
Istanbul, Turkey, I noticed that many individuals do not speak English, and I believe that
English is an international common language that every country should acquire in order to
deal with any foreigner.

On the other hand, during summer in Paris, France, I discovered that local citizens dislike
being in the city since it is so packed with tourists from all over the world. That made me
know more about French people and how they usually prefer their privacy and don’t like
crowded places.

Traveling, in my opinion, adds significant value to anyone's life. It broadens your perspective
on the world and how other people live their lives. What they enjoy and dislike. Travel forces
us to leave our comfort zones and see, taste, and go try new things. It will always challenge
us to not only adapt to and explore new environments, but also it will make us engage with
new people, embrace new and significant experiences, and share them with people we know.

To wrap it all up, Tourism is and will always be a very important and effective element in
every country around the globe and personally, I will always look at it as an investment for
one’s self. When you travel, you become richer not poorer, even if you may have spent some
money on it!
References:

UNWTO (n.d) Tourism and culture[online]

Available at: https://www.unwto.org/tourism-and-culture
[Accessed: 27th January 2023]

USAID (n.d) Tourism [online]

Available at: https://www.usaid.gov/egypt/economic-growth-and-tourism
[Accessed: 25th January 2023]

Compton, N. (2021), How to actually make your travel better for the planet. The Washington
Post [online], 10th September 2021
Available at:https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/sustainable-travel-climate-change-
ecotourism/
[Accessed: 22nd January 2023]

Mishra(2022) From reducing plastic and paper usage to consuming less fuel while travelling,
we bring you 10 essential trips to travel in an eco-friendly manner and not hurt the
environment ,Outlook Traveler [online]
Available at ; https://www.outlookindia.com/outlooktraveller/explore/story/67894/10-eco-
friendly-ways-travel-green-not-hurt-environment
[Accessed: 24th January 2023 ]

The World Counts (n.d) Eco tourism offer a more sustainable alternative to traveling[online]
Available at: https://www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/consumption/transport-and-
tourism/eco-tourism-statistics
[Accessed: 21st January 2023]
Yehia, Y. (2019) The Importance of Tourism on Economies and Businesses, Global EDGE
[online], 26th March 2019
Available at: https://globaledge.msu.edu/blog/post/55748/the-importance-of-tourism-on-
economies-a#:~:text=Tourism%20boosts%20the%20revenue%20of,exchange%20between
%20foreigners%20and%20citizens
[Accessed : 26th January 2023]