A young Egyptian Egyptologist, Ahmed Al Fayed, has decided to single-handedly defy Egypt’s tourism slump.
With the launch of a campaign entitled “Let’s open the gates to Egypt”, Fayed aims at reviving the Egyptian tourism industry through his own efforts.
The 33-year old comes from a family of tour guides who have been in the tourism industry since 1890. The family company has been battered by the impact of the recent political upheaval, seeing year after year of bad trade. The tourism industry, once the second highest source of income for Egypt, has plummeted from US$14 billion in 2010 to just $4 billion.
Five years with no income was not easy for Fayed, but he refused to watch the long-established family business and his own career slip through his fingers.
Gathering his expertise and English-language skills into one, he travelled to Australia in 2015, where he gave a free lecture on Egyptian history at the Museum of Sydney. Australian friends helped him to cover the price of accommodation and plane tickets.
“I can’t say this trip was fruitful, because people’s feedback was modest,” Fayed told Egypt independent.
Nevertheless, he did not give up, trying again in March 2016.
“This time I did everything by myself. I sent an email to the museum requesting a new lecture slot and they were very enthusiastic. Then I launched a Facebook event telling the public about my vision. It went viral and as a result I managed to get financial support for my accommodation and flights.”
The second lecture was more comprehensive, shedding light on modern Egyptian history too.
“The name of the lecture was, ‘Egypt from past to present’. I presented Egyptian ancient and modern history from the eyes of a young Egyptian living in the country. I also raised the issue of Egypt’s deteriorating tourism industry following the two revolutions,” he explained.
The lecture garnered a lot of support for Fayed’s cause, one woman telling him she and her family were inspired to visit Egypt after his talk. On the day after the lecture, the museum published an article saying they had been “awestruck” by the presentation.
“What I did is very simple. Any person who loves his country and is sufficiently qualified to give lectures and speaks English fluently can do the same thing,” said Fayed.
