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Al-Ahram Weekly 27 July - 2 August 2000 Issue No. 492 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 27 July - 2 August 2000 Issue No. 492
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Jumping the gun
By Rehab SaadIf ever there were a time for grand launches, the year 2000 is it, and on 1 June, a celebration was held at the Church of the Virgin Mary in Maadi commemorating the advent of the Holy Family in Egypt 2,000 years ago. The Nile-side affair was a dazzling one; a exalted exercise in religious equity and a dramatic display of modern high-tech entertainment, with a rather contrived message to boot: Egypt is ready for the 21st century.
The event celebrated the completion of the first phase of the Ministry of Tourism's baby: the restoration of sites along the route of the Holy Family in Egypt. In the countdown to the June launch, the so-called holy route dominated headlines with a marketing campaign befitting a major cultural endeavour undertaken by the state. But while expenditure and care may have known no bounds with regard to the restoration and marketing of a new tourist product, the question still remains whether ministry officials and archaeology experts have considered all the necessary accessories that dress an attractive and successful tourist experience. One cannot depend on the old adage: build it and they will come.
The route is now apparently complete from Farama, in northern Sinai, down through the Delta as far as Old Cairo. Shortly after the Maadi extravaganza, three triumphant statements appeared in the press. First, Mohamed Abdel-Maqsoud, head of the antiquities for North Sinai, declared Farama -- designated as the place where the Holy Family first entered Egypt -- to be "ready to receive Christian pilgrims from all over the world." The state-owned Misr Travel then proudly announced that the company has launched a programme that covers "all the sites along the route." Finally, a private company began advertising an interactive CD about the Holy Family's journey aimed at helping travellers.
While efforts have persistently shown that the holy route is meant to be the new big tourist draw, marketing has been at best misguided and at worst totally lacking in coordination and foresight. At Farama, for instance, the "preparations" cheered by Abdel-Maqsoud refer only to the restoration of churches and ignores the issues of accommodation and other facilities for visitors who reach this largely inaccessible area in north-western Sinai. The itineraries being launched by Misr Travel are all single-day programmes; company officials admit that there are no "suitable" places for visitors to stay. Instead of addressing this issue, however, company representatives instantly launch into complaints about the lack of response from abroad, noting that only Egyptians have shown interest.
Meanwhile, the private company Com&Com has produced a valuable marketing tool that remains largely overlooked by the tourism industry at large. The CD-ROM, produced in English, was a major undertaking and covers the entire route of the Holy Family from Bethlehem in Palestine to Doronka near Assiut. Pictures and detailed information are provided about the story of the Holy Family's flight, the sites they visited and the miracles believed to have taken place.
But Com&Com Chairman Maged Mustafa has felt a lack of real backing from institutions like the Ministry of Tourism and the Egyptian Tourist Authority (ETA), and Egyptian travel agencies and hotels have shown almost no interest. "We asked for financial help from the Ministry of Tourism, but its officials declined," says Mustafa. "Then we asked for help in photographing some of the sites, but this was also refused. The only help they gave us was in issuing recommendations to travel agencies and hotels to buy our CDs and distribute them among their clients. It seems that nobody is interested."
Mustafa indicated that originally, Com&Com had hoped to cooperate with the Ministry of Tourism, the ETA and travel agencies. "I thought that the ETA might help by buying up a bunch of CDs and giving them out to tourists and foreigners, as a way of promoting the holy route abroad," explains Mustafa. "I also thought that travel agencies dealing with religious groups would be interested in distributing the CDs among their clients. This is a marketing tool for Egypt and nobody cares."
It's easy to sympathise with Mustafa's frustration. What tourism officials fail to realise is that they cannot depend solely on site restoration to sell a product; what is lacking is a sense of development. Misr Travel has arranged four programmes to different destinations along the route. The first is a two-night trip to Rafah, in north Sinai -- specifically Mahmiyat Al-Ahraash, which was the first place where the Holy Family rested after entering Egypt. The trip includes visits to the city of Sheikh Zewaid, Al-Arish fortress and the Zaraneek protectorate. Misr Travel also offers a day trip to the Delta, taking in Mustorod, Belbeis, Zaqaziq, Samanoud and Sakha. Another day trip goes out to the monasteries of Wadi Al-Natrun. Finally, there is a Nile cruise from Old Cairo to Deir Al-Bayad in Beni Suef.
"Nobody can travel the holy route in one single tour, so we decided the best thing would be to organise separate programmes," remarks Mohamed Bassiouni, who runs the religious sector at Misr Travel. "We organise these trips in cooperation with different churches and monasteries and we advertise them in newspapers." But when asked about longer trips, Bassiouni explains that Al-Arish is the only place where there is good accommodation. For all the other programmes, he explains, "this is impossible."
An icon of the Holy Family during their flight through Egypt, on display at the Cairo's Coptic Museum
Wadi Al-Natrun, for example, lacks accommodation suitable to the average tourist, which is why Misr Travel has only arranged day trips to the monasteries there. Alternatively, notes Bassiouni, visitors can stop by Wadi Al-Natrun on their way to Alexandria. The same applies to sites in the Delta, where there are no hotels. "Perhaps, the situation is better in Upper Egypt," says Bassiouni. "There are some good hotels in Minya. From there, tourists can go to Assiut and Aswan, if they want."
But again, instead of recognising the lack of facilities as a problem, Bassiouni launches into a lamentation of the lack of foreign interest. "It seems that Westerners are not deeply interested in religion," he says. "Or perhaps the marketing of the product abroad is still weak," he admits, but adds quickly, "We are trying to do something to solve that problem."
To this end, Misr Travel has been in contact with the Palestinian Authority and decided to develop some joint programmes that will encourage religious travellers to follow the route of the Holy Family all the way from Bethlehem, via Gaza and Rafah, to sites in Egypt as far as Doronka. The first group in this cooperative effort is expected in March of next year. Egyptian pilgrims will be able to do the return journey, starting in Egypt and finishing in Bethlehem, Bassiouni adds, noting that they depend on churches to encourage people to do the pilgrimage.
Difficulties in launching the holy route are not only about spreading the word. Apart from a lacklustre response, there are many permits that need to be obtained before free travel will be possible along the route of the Holy Family. "This needs serious consideration," notes Bassiouni, who nonetheless admits that a little word of mouth couldn't hurt. "We should organise more 'fam trips' for foreign tour operators and travel agents, so they can come and see the product for themselves and decide what to include in their itineraries."
But for travellers who want to "follow in the footsteps of the Holy Family" without retracing their steps several times over, it seems that little is being done to consider their needs. In Farama, four churches have been immaculately restored -- one situated east of Pelusiam (a historical site built by Saint Abu Makhous dating back to the fourth century) and other modern churches situated along the holy route. Abdel-Maqsoud has hailed the project, expressing his hope that an increase in awareness of the old trade, religious and military routes across northern Sinai will "result in a boom in northern Sinai."
When asked about accommodation, Abdel-Maqsoud is more pragmatic. "Our role, as the Ministry of Culture, is to restore the site and provide tourist guidance. It is not up to us to provide accommodation," he says. "However, there are some cafeterias, motels and petrol stations in Qantara Sharq, which is quite near Farama. Some people might prefer to stay in Ismailia or Al-Arish, where there are good hotels. From Ismailia, they could continue to Zaqaziq, another site on the pilgrimage."
Perhaps the best solution came from Com&Com's Maged Mustafa. Muslims performing the hajj (pilgrimage) in Saudi Arabia use tents in areas where there are no hotels. Air-conditioned tents set up during peak travel times in more remote areas could provide an alternative to staying in hotels far from the sites. What is clear is that there needs to be a little more brainstorming about such hurdles and perhaps a little less whining about a slow start.
Related stories:
In their footsteps- 7 - 13 January 1999
Celebrating the holy family 1 - 7 June 2000
Coptic art steals the show 1-7 June 2000
