Creative Cultural Tourism in Egypt: Case Study of Papyrus and Pottery

Abstract

Creative Tourism is considered as a new generation of tourism that involves tourists themselves and locals in the creation of the tourist products. Egypt is known for its varying productions from clothing, jewelry, weaving embroidery, tentmaking, leather, basketry, pottery, metals, glassblowing, stained glass, sculptured stones, batik, and papyrus…etc. This study aims to explore the benefits of applying creative cultural tourism in Egypt in order to deliver authentic and unforgettable experiences to tourists. Therefore, two case studies were introduced as an attempt for engaging tourists in cultural heritage activities. The first one is the manufacturing of papyrus at El Qaramous village, in the Sharqiya governorate of Egypt’s Nile Delta. The second case study is the manufacturing of pottery that goes back to the ancient Egyptian times. Garagos, a village about 25 km North of Luxor, was very famous of this craft. The study used both the qualitative as well as the quantitative approach; Interviews with were conducted Data collected was transcribed and analyzed using content analysis. In addition, an online survey addressed to tourists was designed and results discussed. This study concluded that creative cultural tourism could engage tourists with the Egyptian intangible cultural heritage, granting them unique lifetime experiences. This type of tourism will not only attract more tourists and increase the tourism income, but also refresh the economy of the involved villages and offer locals financial benefits. In addition, it will encourage locals to appreciate and preserve their intangible cultural heritage.