Department

Public Policy Hub

Description or Abstract

The tourism sector constitutes significant importance for the Egyptian economy, with a contribution of 11.9% to the GDP and total employment of 2.49 million in 2018. The sector has different segments including both mass and niche tourism, where Egypt is heavily dependent on the former. Over the past 10 years, the sector was hammered by several internal and external intermittent hits, resulting in instability in the sector and fluctuations in its revenues that have consequently pulled down the foreign currency reserves. The current challenge of COVID-19 has introduced a new global norm that hurdled the mobility of mass tourist groups and the regular functionality of the sector in light of the imposed global travel restrictions.

Despite Egypt’s tourism product portfolio diversification, Egypt relies heavily on both segments of mass tourism: recreational and cultural tourism. Given the increasing competition that characterizes the marketplace of the world’s mass tourism sector, in addition to the new normal dictated by COVID-19, there is a need to shift towards the niche tourism segments. By virtue of their nature, niche segments are less damaging, more sustainable, and more inclusive. Moreover, it generates higher revenues and expands the life cycle of tourism destinations.

Keywords

Tourism, Niche Tourism, Religious Tourism, Holy Family Trail, Post COVID-19 Life, Public Policy, Egypt

Credits/Acknowledgments

Published by The Public Policy Hub - GAPP School (AUC):

Laila El Baradei (PI), Shahjahan Bhuiyan (Co-PI), Mohamed Kadry (Program Manager), Waleed El-Deeb (Senior Specialist), and Ghadeer Ibrahim (Senior Outreach and Communications Specialist)

Faculty Advisor

Hamed Shamma

Content Type

Other

Language

eng|| ara

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