Reviving the Trail of the Holy Family to Egypt: Applied for the Tourism and Hospitality Sector

Abstract

More than 2,000 years ago, Mary and Najjar fled with Jesus to Egypt in order to escape the wrath of King Herod. This was a defining moment in the history of the Coptic Christians, for Egypt became a second Holy Land when their own land was blessed by the presence of the Holy Family. At present, many Egyptian historians and archeologists are calling for a project to track each town or city visited by the holy family. In anticipation of pilgrims, Egypt is working to restore several holy sites. Vatican Pope visited Egypt in April 2017. The designation of Egypt as a pilgrimage site was endorsed by Vatican Pope in October during his general audience, where he recognizes Egypt as an Official Pilgrim site. This program is forecasted to attract a large number of tourists from all around the world. This study aims at reviveing the historical places of the journey of the holy family in Egypt by determining the main barriers that may face travellers during their visit and the possibility of developing the services offered and increase the number of hospitality properties. Design/methodology/approach–the data were collected via a semi structured questionnaire addressed to experts in tourism and hospitality fields and a questionnaire addressed to a sample of visitors of these holly sites. Research limitations/implications– The research focused on tourism and hospitality services available around the five sites that have been recognized and approved by UNESCO.