Responsible tourism in Egypt

Egypt tourism is focused on great ancient civilisations, heritage, people and culture and has undoubtedly had hugely positive impacts on its economy and local lifestyles, tourism income helping to sustain the country’s great ancient sites. However, there are still many examples of irresponsible tourism in Egypt, from pollution to inequitable access to water, all inclusive resorts to exclusive land use that displaces local people. Egypt is a land of great and ancient civilisations, and so it is the impact not just on the environment we need to take into account as responsible visitors, but also on the people whose lands we travel to admire and revere. Here are some issues that shouldn’t be added to Egypt’s wonders of the world list.

It's been some time since it dominated the front pages, but the Syria crisis is still very much ongoing. That said it's important to remember that Egypt and Syria are not neighbours. Even Cyprus is a heck of a lot closer to Syria than Cairo. However, there are still potential risks. The Russian Airbus A321 being brought down by a suspected terrorist bomb over the Sinai after leaving Sharm El Sheikh airport in October 2015 shocked the world and set fear among the travelling population. But our responsible tourism suppliers continue to travel to Egypt’s regions not deemed as being out of bounds by the FCO, support the local economy which depends hugely on tourism and provide lots of happy memories for many travellers. Fear is a strong emotion though, and the one advantage of turmoil is that right now, as some travellers stay away, the ancient sites, hotels and Nile cruises are quiet. And prices are very reasonable. 

What you can do
Don’t give into the fear factor as that is giving into terrorism. While we are reassured by experts – as well as the near one million tourists who travel safely to Egypt from the UK every year – that many regions of Egypt are not in immediate danger from terrorist threats, we encourage you to travel there and enjoy the country’s wonders. One piece of advice is to avoid public demonstrations. Often taking place on Fridays, they can get out of hand very quickly and tourists have been hurt and arrested in the past. Always check the FCO website for updates.

An indigenous group, 300,000 strong*, the Nubians' ancient villages and fertile lands were destroyed when the Aswan High Dam was built in the 1960s and the newly created reservoir, Lake Nasser, submerged places of great historic significance. As well as losing their physical and spiritual homes, 120,000 Nubian people were displaced to planted towns in Egypt or to Sudan. Some also set up home on Nile islands such as Seheil or Heisa. The Nubian people requested that the new lake be named Nubia, but the president chose to name it after himself. Since that time, Nubian people have struggled for recognition in Egyptian society and government. You can visit the Nubian Museum in Aswan which, when it opened, wasn’t even going to have the word ‘Nubian’ in title. The UN stepped in and threatened to pull funding, and officials changed their mind. It is only since the Egyptian Uprising of 2011 that Nubians have started to find a voice, however, fight for their land rights, protection of their language, one of the oldest on the African continent, and create tourism businesses.

What you can do
Seek out trips that include visits to Nubian villages and support them well. Visit the Nubian Museum in Aswan, and buy souvenirs from artisan businesses in the region. Read up more about the history and struggle of Nubian people on Minority Rights website. And for a poignant photographic study of the Nubian people, see the stunning work of photographer Nour el Refai.

*Source: National Geographic magazine

If you want to go dolphin watching in Egypt, always seek out a responsible operator. They must show expertise not only in how to practise safe dolphin watching but also in recognising different species. This is because the way in which you approach dolphins, the boat speed and distance required depends on the species. And qualified, responsible skippers know what is what.

Swimming with dolphins is a tricky area as cetaceans should never be treated like they are in waterparks. It is vital that time limits on the duration spent with them are strictly enforced, as well as the number of swimmers – and if you have a responsible operator, they will ensure that no one is allowed to enter the water until the guide can tell the dolphins are at ease. Most importantly, never approach a dolphin, and do not touch them. If you are lucky they will come up to you – but this is their territory, nothing is guaranteed, so just relax and enjoy being in their space.

What you can do

Amanda Stafford, from our Egypt dolphin watching partner The Dolphin and Whale Connection: “Be aware of how the driver approaches the animals. Ask: what’s their ethical policy, their good practices? They should have that written down. It’s about having sensitivity and respect, and learning about boat approaches for different species. Some skippers are so experienced, it’s like they know the language that each species speaks. They know their movements and how to move the boats. So if you see striped dolphins you just power up and go like the clappers – you keep a distance but you keep up with them. They never approach the boat. But with other species you slow down, and they all swim like a herringbone up to the bow. They’re all around you like you’re in the middle of a dolphin soup! So there are different approaches with different species and any operator in any area should know the animal and the way it behaves.”

Nile cruises are extremely popular and, like most forms of tourism, there are responsible companies but there are also plenty of irresponsible ones too. Pollution caused by river cruises was being investigated on the Nile by the Travel Foundation before the 2011 Uprising, however, unrest in the country has meant that this research has been put on hold. Meanwhile the problem is not going away and, although you may be hard pushed to find a cruise supplier that has a green policy, you can voice your opinion on the subject. There are two types of tourist cruise boats: static ones called awamas that sit on the river banks, and then the floating hotels that are sometimes several storeys high. They are all obliged to have licences to ensure they have correct containers for sewage, don’t spill fuel and so on. The problem is that they are totally underpoliced, and so the pollution is still rife. If you see bad practice, tell your tour operators and tourist board. Ultimately they, and the tourism and environment ministers, listen to punters. Paying ones that is, as opposed to river ones.

What you can do
Consider taking a felucca sailing trip down the Nile, less pollution, more peace. And often run by local people too, sometimes tying in with indigenous Nubian communities en route.

Photo credits: [Nubian village: David Stanley] [Dolphin: Andrew Skudder] [nile cruise: Dennis Jarvis]

Written by: Catherine Mack and Polly Humphris