How to be a Responsible Tourist in Egypt?
12 Ways to Travel Responsibly in Egypt
Responsible tourism is the practice of travelling in such a way so as to minimise any negative impact on the environment, people, culture or economy of the places through which you travel.
Not to be confused with ‘sustainable tourism’ which places the onus on organisations and governments to adopt their strategies, responsible tourism offers ways in which every individual traveller can have a more positive effect on the places they visit.
See for a more detailed definition of responsible tourism.
There are a number of ways in tourists can travel responsibly in Egypt.
1) Make Friends
Sharing your language, life and culture while learning about another is the fastest and most enduring way to break down barriers and educate both parties.
It’s unlikely however that you’ll make lasting connections by spending two weeks on a beach in Sharm El Sheikh. Try to reach out before your trip, through facebook, twitter, couchsurfers and other social networks.
This way you can meet every day Egyptian people who share your interests and do not necessarily work in the tourism sector. It may well enhance your trip too.
A personal tour from a local and home cooked dinner beats any guided tour and restaurant grub.
2) Do you homework
Before you travel learn about the current situation and research the places you plan to visit. What should you be aware of? Are there any boycotts taking place that you should know about and why? Make informed choices about the things you do and the places you go.
Similarly you should consume responsibly too. Don’t rent a camel that’s clearly emaciated and isn’t looked after or stay at a hotel owned by a corrupt politician.
3) Look but don’t touch and leave no footprints
When it comes to the environment you should enjoy it from a distance without spoiling it or removing it.
This is especially true beneath the waves where large sections of the once vibrant coral reef around Sharm and Hurghada are now dead due to tourists walking on it or removing it as a souvenir.
4) Pay a Fair Price
Haggling in Egypt can be lots of fun, but don’t get carried away. With 1 in 5 Egyptians living beneath the poverty line (CIA World Factbook, 2005) it’s highly likely that the vendor needs to sell the product more that the tourist needs to buy it.
Do some research about what things should cost and pay fair amount. Read a Guide to What things Cost in Egypt.
5) Stay at Eco Lodges
Egypt has a growing number of Eco lodges which positively benefit the environment and the local community in they are located. What is an Eco Lodge?
6) Don’t give money to children
Begging is extremely common place in Egypt and nothing is more heart breaking then when it’s done by a child.
There is always something more productive a child can be doing and each time you give away cash it promotes the practice further.
Your money would be more responsibly spent if donated to organisations that work in Egypt and help children through constructive and sustainable means.
Alternatively you can donate your time by volunteering in Egypt.
7) Explore Worthwhile Initiatives
If you’d like to give something back to the country at the end of trip, why not consider patronising a local charity or organisation. In addition to being an effective use of your money it will give you a very good reason to re-visit Egypt and see how your money is making a difference in the years to come.
Does some research before you go and find out what sort of projects exist in the areas you’ll visit. For example, the Sunshine project near Luxor is always in need of children’s clothing and cash donations. Find our more about charities in Egypt.
Do not bring gifts to hand out to children you meet along the way, especially sweets. Most children will be lucky to see a doctor in their lives and as such sweets do not do them any favours.
Giving unexpected presents will only promote/introduce the culture of begging. It’s much better to give donations to a project or local school to distribute.
8) Volunteer
There are an increasing number of ways in which visitors can volunteer their time on both long and short term initiatives.
Whether you choose to work with children, look after animals or build a badly needed community resource, the positive aspects of volunteering stretch well beyond the tangible benefits.
Working with Egyptians is the best way to form lasting relationships and promote intercultural understanding. It’s also far more rewarding than a traditional beach holiday.
Some visitors to Egypt now combine the two by attaching a short volunteering stint to the tail end of their trip. Read more about volunteering in Egypt
9) Use responsible operators
There is vast multitude of tour operators based both in Egypt and beyond to choose from when booking the various elements of your trip.
The more that travellers ask their tour operators about their responsible credentials and use the answers as criteria for selecting their suppliers, the more tour operators will opt to work in responsible ways.
Simple questions to ask before booking your trip…
10) Carbon offsetting
The majority of Egypt’s millions of annual visitors arrive by aeroplane.
The combined carbon footprint of these tourists is colossal. You can do you bit by offsetting a portion of your carbon emissions. See the resource box below for more details.
When travelling around in Egypt, opt to use more public transport than domestic flights for the same reason.
11) Respect local tradition, holy places, dress codes!
Your experience in Egypt will be significantly enhanced if you respect local culture, customs and sensitivities.
Tourists represent their nations to millions of Egyptians who will likely never have the opportunity to travel themselves. When those tourists fail respect local customs it leaves a bad taste in the Egypt palette and can become generalised to all tourists from that region.
If you make an effort to respect local customs you will likely appear much more approachable to everyday Egyptians, have more positive experiences with them, and increase the opportunities for positive experiences for future travellers.
Read about how to dress in Egypt
For More Information:
Couch Surfers - Meet Egyptians online before you go
The International Centre for Responsible Tourism based at Leeds Metropolitan Univertsity
Climate Care - Calculate the carbon emissions for your journey and pay climate care to offset those emissions elsewhere. Watch this animation to find out how it work
