Samar Al-Mogren

Al-Jazirah

Egypt is a better tourist choice for GCC families, especially in the light of its current political and security stability. This makes the Gulf tourist go to Egypt feeling comfortable, safe and secure. However, there are certain issues which the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism should seriously consider when dealing with GCC tourists or the "Arabs" as they are called.



I see no difference between the Egyptians and us since Egypt itself is an Arab country. However, among the issues that may affect the morale of GCC citizens and make them feel negative is the way in which they are equated with American or European tourists.



This is clearly seen on signs to the entrances of museums and other tourist places. We notice that the price of entry tickets for Egyptians is different to the ones asked from foreigners.



It is true that the ticket price may be trivial but I am speaking about the psychological effect. Though nominal, this price may make us feel that we are in a foreign country, not in our second homeland.



The second issue is the hotel rates. Hotels ask GCC citizens to pay huge sums compared to Egyptians. As a result, GCC tourists will feel exploited. It is as if the hotel is openly saying, "You have a lot of money and so you must pay double or triple the price paid by Egyptians.”



I think this attitude is old in Egypt but Egypt has changed and these big or petty matters should change accordingly. This attitude will not help the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism achieve its objectives.



The ministry recently opened a tourist office at the Egyptian Embassy in Abu Dhabi to promote tourism among GCC countries. The ministry intends to attract 7 million GCC tourists by 2020.



I will not delve too deep into the minute details, whether the issue is small or large. In my opinion, what I said above is the most important thing, particularly since Egypt has now returned to us and is building itself anew.



Egypt has also started reconstructing the tourist sector. I, therefore, hope that this construction will be new and different from the old setup. The new attitude should take into consideration the respect for the feelings of GCC tourists and not make them entertain the notion that they are foreigners in Egypt.



A fact that cannot be denied is that Egypt, the mother of the world, is one of the most beautiful tourist spots in the world. No matter how wide we travel to Europe, America or East Asia, we will always feel nostalgic about Egypt.



This is not my personal feeling, but is the feeling of the majority of GCC tourists. Then there is Egypt’s ability to offer tourists a variety of options from which to choose. Egypt has different towns and regions that can suit various tastes.



Egypt is beautiful in everything but it needs to put some touches here and there, including respecting the feelings of GCC tourists. In view of the strong ties and deep rooted links between Egypt and GCC countries, we should not be called foreigners in Egypt.