Sustainable Tourism Development_Egypt

Barmelgy, H. M., and M. M. EL-Sayed, "Sustainability Indicators an International Tool as a Local Recipe", Journal of Urban Research, vol. 11, issue 2090-0694, pp. 1-21, 2014. Abstractindicators_a_tool_for_promoting_sct_in_historical_areas_barmelgy_h._m_2013.pdf

Most developing countries seek international tools to overcome their local problems. Such international tools, being imported and implemented without any attempts to localise them have led to their inability, in many circumstances, to address developing countries local problems. The paper presents a practical research for localising an international tool, aiming to utilise it as an efficient sustainability tool for promoting sustainable tourism in heritage market areas. The paper methodology utilises theoretical studies’ findings in composing an international list of sustainable tourism indicators. Aiming to prove the efficiency of the international tool, the paper conducted a correlated analysis, studying the ability and efficiency of the tool in addressing the local existing problems of tourism in heritage market areas. Although the tool did prove its high predictive ability to deal with existing local problems, still the ability to apply the international tool within the limitation of the local context is a valid threat hindering the efficiency of the tool. The main problem lies in the tool’s long list being composed of 45 indicators. Such comprehensive list would require adequate data resources and special expertise to interpret the data in order to achieve the required efficiency of the tool; which is not available in developing countries. The paper concluded a practical empirical field survey study, aiming to localise the list to match the requirements and limitations of the Egyptian condition. The study targeted a group of experts in the field of sustainability and historical tourism development. Based on the findings of the study the list was reduced to comprise only the 13 most effective indicators. Finally, the paper conducted a correlative analytical study between the final localised list and the existing tourism problems of the area. The findings of the study proved the list to have an expected efficiency rate of around 88% in guiding the implementation of sustainable tourism in heritage market areas.

Barmelgy, H. M., and M. M. EL-Sayed, "Heritage Markets Tourism and Sustainable Development of Historical Areas", Engineering Research Journal , vol. 137, issue ISSN: 1110-5615, pp. AA62-AA84, 2013. Abstractst_and_sd_of_historical_areas_barmelgy_h._m_2013.pdf

Egypt is a developing country with very limited industrial resources and a very fragile economic sector. Such a situation has been the result of hundreds of years of miss-planning and miss-management of the country’s resources; due to the factors of internal corruption and external agendas that target the economic sector of the country, which aimed to compromise any future chances of this country in regaining its pride and civilization. Apart from the undeniable catastrophic economic situation of the country, the country still has a variety of historical assets that could redevelop its economic situation through sustainable development. However, these areas are not in a better condition than the rest of the country. Most of these areas have been suffering badly, either due to a long time of ignorance and lack of maintenance or due to the unsustainable urban development that affects the outer and inner context of these historical areas. Such reforms will require huge investments to build up the appropriate sustainable development of the historical areas and their communities. The paper asserts the possibility of utilizing the heritage markets of these areas by attracting and promoting sustainable tourism. Such ability would provide the required revenues for introducing sustainable development to the entire historical areas. The paper adopted a methodology that aimed, through a group of theoretical studies, to define the expected positive contribution that sustainable tourism would introduce to historical areas and sites. On the other hand, a defined set of negative existing conditions of heritage markets were defined based on a field survey. Finally, the paper conducted an analytical correlation study that aimed to prove the efficiency of sustainable tourism in overcoming problems of heritage markets; thus, introducing sustainability to historical areas.

Barmelgy, H. M., and K. M. Samy, "Sustainable Tourism versus Sustainable Development: Attempting Sustainable Tourism Development for Egypt", Development and Tourism in Coastal Areas, INTA 2005, International Conference at Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. , 12 March 2005. Abstractst_versus_sd_barmlegy_h._m_2005.pdf

Tourism development is an opportunity but is also a threat if not managed appropriately. In the emerging tourism destinations, it is essential that tourism sustainable development initiatives be prepared to prevent the deterioration of their resources and guarantee their continued viability in the future. The achievement of tourism sustainable development will only be secured if there is openness for a "cultural change" in shifting the region’s patterns of development. Integrated planning, local communities, and monitoring are key players in this process of change. The WTO’s different definitions for sustainable tourism concentrate on the satisfaction of the tourists while protecting the tourism destination resources including environment, cultural biodiversity, and heritage. This approach presents us with a type of a tourist-centric development. While sustainable development presenting us with a community-centric approach where the benefits of the development are directed to the local communities of the development locations. Recently, debates have shifted toward more global thinking and local action where emphasising is set about tourism’s relationships with host communities within the frame of sustainable tourism development process. This paper, however, argues the ability of sustainable tourism development to bring to the fore the maximum satisfaction to the tourist (tourism-centric ST), while saving the ability to direct the development to the benefits of the local communities (community-centric SD).
Accordingly, the paper is organized in two parts, the first, conducts a profound definitions and analysis for the meaning and components of ST and SD process aiming to prove the ability of STD to maintain the balance between the concepts in the most economical, environmental and socio-cultural sustainable manner. Case studies of success efforts of coastal areas management and sustainability were demonstrated in the second part to identify how can STD contribute to link the development of the coastal areas to their hinterland thus providing a ST product within a comprehensive SD process of the development areas combining its coastal to its hinterland. The paper is concluded with a proposed framework that aims to positively contribute to the objective of implementing sustainable tourism development in coastal areas with reference to Egypt.

Barmelgy, H. M., and K. M. Samy, "To 'Eco-wise' or to 'Sustain-wise'", Development and Tourism in Coastal Areas, INTA 2005 International Conference at Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. , 10 March 2005. Abstractto_eco-wise_or_to_sustain-wise_barmelgy_h._m_2005_.pdf

In 1991 Elizabeth Boo initiated the notion of Eco-tourism into the global context, since then there is an on going debate around the efficiency of the term. Some argued the term to be no more than a myth or a rhetoric speech about sustaining our ‘ego’. Others sees the term as a panacea from heaven presenting the tourism industry with a sensitive environmental approach. The paper argues ‘eco-tourism’ to be a highly rated sustainable form of tourism that is only applicable to specific locations of high scenic environmental, social and culture values and with specific management capabilities . Consequently, the paper aims to investigate the rhetoric discourse of 'eco-tourism' and how can it contribute to the tourism developments within the Egyptian context. The research methodology is to conduct a profound study aiming to analyse and study the philosophy of the ecotourism concept, defining its features and principles. Studying the link between the concept of 'ecotourism' and that of 'sustainable tourism', extending the debate to the reality of ecotourism development process within the realm of developing countries; aiming to achieve an objective answer to the question of; whether to 'ecowise' or to 'sustainwise'?