For many years, Upper Egypt has not been on the radar in terms of concerted national development policies. But it is a region with much potential for developing a sustainable tourism sector that would benefit its population by creating job opportunities for the youth while helping the government formalize a sustainable tourism agenda. Speaking to…
It all started in 2009, when businessman Mansour Amer, founder and owner of real estate company Amer, sought to launch a project in Aswan to follow suit with his infamous prototype of projects Porto Marina on the North Coast and Porto Sokhna in Ain Sokhna. The project–dubbed Porto Aswan–was to cover an area of approximately…
Tourism is a vital pillar of the Egyptian economy. Hisham Zaazou, senior assistant to Egypt’s minister of tourism, pointed out the sector’s “exponential expansion“ since 1982. According to Zaazou, the number of tourists visiting Egypt jumped from 1.4 million in 1982 to 12.5 million in 2009. Revenue totals rose from US$300 million in 1982 to…
The following is Al-Masry Al-Youm’s interview with Hisham Zaazou, senior assistant to Egypt’s Minister of Tourism, as part of our Green Profile series, in which prominent figures discuss pressing environmental issues. Al-Masry Al-Youm caught up with Zaazou at the recent World Green Tourism conference in Abu Dhabi. Al Masry Al Youm: Tell us about your work…
Abu Dhabi–Monday saw the launch of the World Green Tourism conference in Abu Dhabi, a three-day event seen as the first global event in the Arabian Gulf devoted to the development of–and investment in–sustainable tourism. The conference aims to bring together key regional and international players in the industry–including tourism authorities and associations, city planners, hotels and…
There seems to be more disagreement than agreement on whether eco-lodges even exist in Egypt. This confusion is normal, according to Amir Gohar, a tourism and land use planning expert. There is no straight forward definition of the term eco-lodge worldwide, he says. In other words, the term should instead be viewed as a continuum.…
Hoda Baraka 