After 18 days of people’s revolution, the dictator was ousted and Egypt may have a good chance to resurrect the greatness of its past. The current revolution in Egypt is not a real surprise. Egypt has been a delicate society for a long time, it is that the resistance of the people finally came to an end and they took to the streets to face the might of the regime head-on and won.
Complete hopelessness and a lack of a positive outlook towards the future, a malaise of the futility of improving one’s life, have been the norm for most Egyptians for far too long. Most Egyptians have become so divorced from the life of the rich and the Egyptian Jet Set that for decades the only thing left for most was to gravitate towards the ways of life of Islam. The rich knew no limits. For the masses, the promise of success has been neglected, replaced by emptiness and nothing to look forward to.
Faced with unemployment, the constant increase in the cost of living, inshallah, God willing, the change is finally not enough to keep the tide of the miserable man, having nothing to lose, he must act and that is what has just happened, wine the popular revolution.
With over 10% and often said to be as much as 20% of the Egyptian economy, tourism is predicted to be among the first sectors most likely soon to be raised from the dead by the new government yet to be seen. But now that Egypt is experiencing the beginning of a new future, although the men and women of Tahrir Square have not yet reaped the benefits of the revolution and the future is not yet clear, one can only wonder if tourism can return to the same shape and form as we have known it to be. Let’s face it, those who benefited most from tourism were the elite, and if people power insists on a complete overhaul of the system, tourism will not work in the same way that it has.
Tour operators might be guessing that by the end of March or June tourism will be back to where it was, however it may even take on entirely new dimensions, whatever those may be. As opposed to that, there will be more tourist arrivals than before in the short term, nor would it be advisable, as attracting more tourists is definitely not the right formula for Egypt, the infrastructure is simply not ready, nor was it before.
With some twelve million tourists visiting Egypt each year, tourists touring the attractions often complain about the crowds, stating that truly seeing and enjoying the sites is simply impossible. With a countless number of tours arriving on flights and cruise ships, on buses, internal flights and Nile cruises to be sent all over Egypt, swarming over temples and pyramids, museums and souks, all tourists have undoubtedly discovered the meaning of travel. mass. Add to this the horrendous traffic jams and debilitating pollution, rejuvenating that type of tourism is not something that is longed for.
No matter what government will take power in Egypt, it will be very busy. Let us hope that Egypt does not become an orthodox Islamic state in the style of Iran or that it renews things only at first sight and in the end little changes. Seeking higher wages, more jobs and more opportunities to improve life is just part of the many changes Egyptians are demanding. Tourism alone cannot lift Egypt out of the darkness of Mubarak’s 30 years of power and corruption, much more will have to change in a society locked down for decades. And it will take time.
