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Eco-Tourism with Social Dimension

An overview of the Egyptian context:

Presentation of Ecotourism Fayoum project

On behalf of

Graziella Rizza, Programme Manager Research Unit, NSCE

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction/Background ....................................................................................................... 3 2. Eco Tourism related activities to NSCE ................................................................................ 4 3. Fayoum Ecotourism project ................................................................................................... 5

3.1 Overall view ..................................................................................................................... 5 3.2 Hiking............................................................................................................................... 6 3.3 Bird watching ................................................................................................................... 6 3.4 Pottery .............................................................................................................................. 7 3.5 Camel Trekking................................................................................................................ 7

4. Lessons learned ...................................................................................................................... 7 5. Recommendations/Conclusions ............................................................................................. 8

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1. Introduction/Background The Egyptian government refers to tourism as “Egypt’s future industry”. Tourism is a key sector of the Egyptian national economy estimated to generate a total of $12.8 billion in direct and indirect economic activity. The tourism sector is also the greatest contributor to the total employment creating more than 2.2 million jobs, representing 7% of total employment. Tourism generally fuels growth in the Egyptian economy, especially in the construction field, services and agricultural industries. Western and southern European markets are the prime generators of tourism for Egypt, followed by the Arab, Eastern European and U.S. markets respectively. Other new tourist generating markets in Southeast Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe are also emerging as evidenced by extremely high growth rates. It is the most dynamic Egyptian industry and the largest earner of foreign currency, representing around 4.4% of the GDP of the country.1 Egypt has a multitude of unique ecosystems and natural attractions not found elsewhere in the world, ranging from coral reefs to desert wildlife. Realizing the importance of these resources for the future sustainable development of Egypt and their significance as part of the global heritage of the world, the Egyptian government has dedicated special attention to their development and management. There are currently 23 protected areas in Egypt, covering 91,000 square kilometers, or about 9% of the country's territory.

Ecotourism activities were incorporated into the National Biodiversity Strategy and became one of the basic principles of declaring natural protectorates. The number of tourists reached 8.5 million tourists in 2005 achieving a return of 6.4 billion US dollars. Despite the fact that several discussions on the definition of an ecotourism strategy have been discussed and the issue is still of an interest to the involved stakeholders, up to date a clear and operational framework has not been defined yet. Within this context, North South Consultants Exchange has been pioneer in Egypt in introducing eco tourism related activities since the mid 1980s. The outputs of the initiatives promoted have to be attributed to the professional standing of Ms. Zohra Merabet, NSCE Executive Director, who managed to promote dynamics and involve Governmental, Non-Governmental and private sector representatives. Other actors involved in the field of ecotourism are the Basata Camp and El Karm Ecolodge in South Sinai, the desert lodge in Dakhla and Nature Camp Behreya in Wadi el Gedid, the Ecolodge in Siwa Oasi; they had revived the traditional architectural style and created hundreds of job opportunities for the local community. Despite several initiatives, a mapping on the eco tourism activities in Egypt, and the effective market share in the tourist sector, is not available.

1 Tourism Sector Developments in Egypt, Business Studies & Analysis Centre, American Chamber of

Commerce in Egypt, 2005.

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2. Eco Tourism activities related to NSCE Among the various initiatives related to NSCE the following ones are worthwhile to be mentioned:

Fair trade implemented in cooperation with the Italian NGO COSPE, in partnership with ECC (Egypt Craft Centre). The Fair Trade program involves producers from all the country and aims at reviving and safeguarding the traditional artisan production. More than 40 NGOs are involved in the artisan production. ECC is the promoting the marketability of those products both in Egypt and abroad. Mapping of South Sinai indigenous population aimed at reviewing and assessing Bedouin's skills and interest in engaging in sustainable tourism development.

Establish a geographic information system for the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA). The value of the Egyptian historical and cultural heritage is unique in the world. As a sub-contractor to the Finnish Environment Institute, NSCE is providing the Team Leader and national consultants, as well as backstopping services to the Egyptian Antiquities Information System Project (EAIS).

The aim of the project is to establish a geographic information system for the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), the body responsible for the protection and maintenance of the antiquities and their sites in Egypt. The project purpose is to improve the overall information as well as the site and heritage management capacity of SCA, enabling it to perform its tasks in mapping, documentation and protection of archaeological sites in Egypt. In order to achieve these goals the project supports the development of a geographical information system (GIS) for the management of Egyptian antiquities.

Cultural preservation of Siwa Oasis population. NSCE cooperated with the Italian NGO Cooperazione Sud-Sud in the development of cultural and eco tourism in the oasis, through the development of culturally based economic activities targeted to low-income groups and more specifically to youth and women. The local Siwan jewellery production was revived through the support of technical and managerial training, which brought to life an abandoned art.

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3. Fayoum Ecotourism project

NSCE has decided to present in detail a project implemented in Fayoum area as one of its best practices in Ecotourism.

3.1 Overall view

Fayoum province, the largest oasis of Egypt, nested in a depression located 90 km in the South West of Cairo, Egypt is endowed with lush nature, unique geological features, lakes, rich archaeological sites and a rich cultural heritage. Yet, Fayoum has remained marginalized from the Egyptian growing tourism industry during the past two decades. With a local economy largely dominated by traditional agriculture and limited opportunities for non agriculture employment, the local population (2 million inhabitants) keep struggling with poverty and unemployment. Furthermore, with a rapidly growing population, the risks of environmental degradation of the Fayoum’s natural assets are real. This is aggravated by the ignorance of the local population about the nature of pollution and environmental degradation, and a lack of understanding of the economic and social benefits of preserving the lake, oasis, and surrounding deserts. An assessment for potential economic diversification and support to the development of local economy was carried out in year 2000. The research came with the conclusion that the potential for developing ecotourism in the Fayoum, with its lakes, palm trees, pristine desert areas, fossil remains, bird sanctuaries, and rural quietude, is very high. Likewise, it was found that ecotourism could present ample opportunities to local residents. These opportunities include jobs, extra income, and technical training in the field of tourism and small business management. Several challenges were identified, among which a difficult legal environment, a population marked by a low level of education and limited entrepreneurial attitude and experience. Even if not a panacea for all of the region’s environmental and economic ills, properly planned ecotourism could offer means to help develop and diversify the local economy and provide much needed business management training experiences and reduce environmental degradation. The aim is to demonstrate to the local people the economic benefits of maintaining a clean and healthy environment. Furthermore, the integration of the local population in the development of local ecotourism could demonstrate that the ecotourism’s dollar circulates in, and benefits the local economy much more profoundly than the normal tourist dollar. A pilot project was launched with the following objectives: 1. help foster an alternative and more locally beneficial tourism by investing in the

improvement of local human resources; 2. encourage the valuation and thus preservation of local cultural and environmental

assets by demonstrating that natural and cultural environments can bring much needed revenue to the area;

3. stimulate the local economy through the development of ecotourism related entrepreneurship and credit facilities for local population.

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Over a period of two years, the project succeeded in demonstrating that it is feasible to develop local, community-based services and activities for ecotourism, and that there is a real market demand for such services in the region. Important lessons were learnt to share with the local population and local authorities to upscale the project activities; yet several key challenges remained to be addressed to enable a full scale transformation of rural Fayoum into a major ecotourism destination in Egypt. The project's concrete outputs were to set up ecotourism activities, which involved the local population. A brief description on the output of each activity is provided below.

3.2 Hiking

The Fayoum Ecotourism project has developed a number of hikes in Wadi Rayan Protected Area, as well as a network of local hiking guides. All hikes have been planned with the Protected Area Management Unit to ensure a minimal impact on the environment and are guided by a community guard of the Protected Area. Some of the hikes are close to the lake and offer the possibility to swim. Others include a visit to local

monasteries and a land reclamation area. A visit to the Waterfall Area, the Park Visitor Centre and to local handicraft producers can also be arranged upon request. The project has trained more than 20 hiking guides and developed travel itineraries.

3.3 Bird watching

El Fayoum is good for bird watching throughout the year. However, winter, spring and autumn are the best seasons to visit when the highest number and variety of birds occur. During these seasons the 35 or so resident species are supplemented by upwards of 150 species of migrating and wintering birds. The Fayoum Ecotourism Project has developed a network of local bird guides who can take visitors around the oasis to see its bird life and other facets of this wonderful oasis.

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3.4 Pottery

The picturesque village of Nazla is a pottery paradise. Located about 35 km northwest of Fayoum City, the village looks over a narrow valley, Masraf al-Wadi. The pottery is produced according to methods that have not changed much since Pharonic times. More then 20 open-air workshops and ovens cascade along the Wadi slopes. Fifteen years ago, about 150 local families

were involved in the production and marketing of pottery. This number has now decreased to approximately 50. The project has supported the workshops both through marketing activities, technical assistance and the promotion of alternative tourist tours.

3.5 Camel Trekking

An attractive and local alternative to cars, when exploring the Fayoum, are camels. They are still widely used for agricultural purposes and allow visitors to discover the desert and rural areas in a quiet, unobtrusive manner. The Fayoum Ecotourism Project has encouraged and provided support to a family from the village of Qarun to start up its own camel riding business and has helped them to develop and map out a number of tracks that vary from 1 hour to 2 days.

4. Lessons learned The involvement of local communities in the process has been one of the project key successes aiming at enhancing the local capacities by maintaining the cultural values and reviving artisan production.

Introducing alternative path of tourism, in symbiosis with the environment, implied the identification of new activities such as hiking and camel trekking. The main difficulties encountered were the legal conditions allowing the trained guides to operate in a segment of the tourist sector, which required governmental licensing. This constrain is however related to the lack of an overall governmental strategy which is reflected in the regularization of the legal aspects. The project has therefore started working in close coordination with Fayoum Tourist Authority to support the release of licences to the trained guides. Through the fair trade initiative, NSCE is supporting the local economy of Fayoum area by providing the marketing link and the marketability of the artisan production. The main concept is to utilize different channels for the promotion of related ecotourism activities even outside the areas targeting eco tourists, thus promoting an integrated approach to the matter.

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5. Recommendations/Conclusions Eco-tourism is not yet much exploited in Egypt. Internationally, those countries protecting their biological diversity will attract more tourists. Since tourism is Egypt's main foreign exchange earner, it behooves the country to pay attention to the impact of the environmental quality on tourism. Egypt has a multitude of unique ecosystems and natural attractions not found elsewhere in the world, ranging from coral reefs to desert wildlife. Realizing the importance of these resources for the future sustainable development of Egypt and their significance as part of the global heritage of the world, the Egyptian government has devoted special attention to their development and management. There are currently 23 protected areas in Egypt, covering 91,000 square kilometers. These 23 areas feature numerous endangered animal and plant species, unique coastal and desert areas that are almost undeveloped, in addition to over 100 different kinds of corals, which makes Egypt a diver's paradise. Both the continuous population growth and the increasing popularity of its coastlines as major tourist attractions propel ongoing development, particularly along the Red Sea and Mediterranean. Protecting the very amenities, and resources that draw tourists and the associated revenue, requires that any development along the coast to be carefully managed. With thousands of square kilometers of unique coastal and desert areas still almost undeveloped, Egypt is in a position to become an innovator and leader in this field.

Despite initiatives taken both by the private and governmental sector, ecotourism is still an area, which needs to be enhanced in terms of legislation, coordination and networking. Lack of knowledge and systemized information on ecotourism operators make ecotourism activities accessible mostly by a small portion of local and foreign population leaving in Egypt or by word of mouth. The presented initiatives carried out by NSCE demonstrate that concrete outputs to the benefit of local communities can match with alternative path to mass tourism.

An effective and targeted approach requires the definition of a punctual strategy to which an Ecotourism association in Egypt should lined. The Ecotourism Association could play a catalytic and pivotal role in the ecotourism field and include the major stakeholders.

It must be stated that ecotourism is not just an alternative tourism, but has also a component on development and income generation for the local communities. Fair trade initiatives linked to marketability of the artisan products produced by the local communities should be opened to new markets especially in the western countries.

Within this context NSCE continues be actively involved in the promotion of activities.

A new project in cooperation with the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency and the Norwegian Government has been presented. The project whose identified area of intervention is in Sharm El Sheikh in Sough Sinai, will focus on raising awareness among the Tour Operators in Norway, as well as their local Egyptian partners on ecotourism and sustainability issues, training programmes especially for tourist guides, pilot activities with small and medium sized tourist companies (diving centres, desert safari organisers, small/medium sized hotels, local shops etc.). In addition the project will focus on specific actions to improve environmental performance in Sharm El Sheikh by assistance from Norwegian technology, e.g. in recycling of solid waste.

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Further information can be requested to: Zohra Merabet, Executive Director NSCE, zmerabet@nsce-

inter.com and ecotourismfayoum@nsce-inter.com