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Al-Ahram Weekly 5 - 11 August 1999 Issue No. 441 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 5 - 11 August 1999 Issue No. 441
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Focus Interview Features Travel Living Sports Time Out Chronicles People Cartoons Letters Plain talk
By Mursi Saad El-Din
Can a formula be found that grants access to historic cultural sites and fragile monuments while limiting the dangers that seem to come with such exposure? This is the question posed by the current issue of the UNESCO publication, Museum International.
One particular problem revolves around what might be termed the respect for authenticity. Too many tourists not only compromise the physical stability of such sites, they also erode their symbolic value. A cathedral invaded by sightseers, for example, ceases to be a site of contemplation. To avoid such situations those responsible for tourism must be educated to regard travel not just in commercial terms but as an opportunity to initiate a cultural dialogue between residents and visitors. In short, learning how to be a responsible tourist should be part and parcel of learning how to be a tourist.
A charter drawn up by the International Council for Cultural Tourism on Monuments and Sites was in fact drawn up as long ago as 1977. It is now being revised in the light of the changes that have taken place in the tourism industry. The pressure of tourism and the inclusion of new sectors of people who had not in the past constituted the body of tourists, make it important to increase the amount of restoration work. Package tourism -- as distinct from individual travellers -- brings a host of new problems. One problem from which we have suffered in Egypt is an excessive concern with façades. Clumsy and badly planned repairs, which are in effect little more than cosmetic exercises, can cause a vast amount of damage in the medium to long term. While quickly sprucing up a structure might make sense in the short term, any such exercise that neglects the buildings' history, or fails to respect the original materials and techniques, is in the end going to be detrimental.
Restoration and renovation, the writer in Museums International insists, must take into account the real condition of the property. Historic and aesthetic considerations must dictate the nature of the restoration work, not commercial considerations. Advice is also given to travel agencies responsible for group tourism. They should prepare longer lists of places to be seen rather than concentrate on a few major sites.
The guides employed by travel agencies should also be trained in preventive conservation so that they may draw the tourists' attention to the fragile nature of the places they are visiting and the specific dangers to which these sites are exposed. They must remain alert to those who climb on the monuments, rub their bags against wall paintings, touch objects or trample over archaeological sites unthinkingly. If guides mentions such practices, offering explanations of the damage they cause on the spot, they would be more readily accepted than a curt order from the security guide.
If cultural tourism is in the future to become a well-understood leisure activity, says one of the writers, familiarisation with the heritage must start in childhood and must be introduced through the school curriculum. Already, thankfully, there are several initiatives being undertaken in this respect.
