Are We Serious?!

Al-Masry Al-Youm, Egypt, August 13

Last week, the Egyptian government announced a strict plan to ration energy consumption on streets and in public buildings. Based on the announcement, all outdoor lighting – including in government buildings, public squares, streets and main roads – will be cut at 11 p.m. In addition, all shopping malls and stores will have to close by that time. My response to this announcement is plain and simple: Are we serious?! Has our government actually considered the negative impact this decision would have on tourism in our country? Have any studies or evaluations been done to assess the impact of such a decision on Egypt’s tourism industry and, consequently, the lost income to our economy? And putting tourism aside, has any study been performed to quantify the money our government would actually save by dimming the lights in public areas? Were the Minister of Tourism, alongside other officials and experts, surveyed before making the decision? If any of this happened, and if there are serious scientific studies, then it is our right to see the data and understand the decision-making process. Given all of these factors, the big question still remains: Are we actually serious, as a country, about the promotion of tourism? Are we actually committed to identifying and implementing strategies that would bring more tourists into Egypt each and every year? We see countries around us that have decided to increase the number of tourists visiting them by a factor of over a dozen. Skeptics described these governments’ plans as “fantasy,” but when ambitious plans were put on paper, we started seeing extremely positive trends in inbound tourists. These governments made sure to streamline and improve the entire tourist experience – from arriving at the airport, to traveling in-country, to departing safely and securely. Understanding the biggest obstacles standing in our way of becoming a tourist attraction doesn’t require insane effort. It simply requires us to map out the entire journey experienced by a visitor, from the moment they arrive at the airport to the moment they leave – including the transactions, accommodations, transportation and attractions they engage with. Articulating this journey will immediately reveal our biggest obstacles. But in the meantime, one thing is clear: We don’t need to create additional reasons for tourists to stay away from Egypt, such as dimming all lights in public areas each and every night. –Abd Al-Latif Al-Manawi (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)