Title: Environmental management and Egyptian tourism

Authors: Zainub Ibrahim; Geoffrey Wall

Addresses: Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, The Business School, 3199 Lakeshore Boulevard West, ON M8V 1K8, Toronto, Canada ' Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada

Abstract: This paper examines the growth of tourism and the subsequent issues related to environmental policy. Egypt has a substantial history of environmental policy but environmental degradation still occurs for a variety of reasons. This paper outlines the evolution of environmental policy in Egypt, and presents key limitations that hinder the implementation of these policies. These limitations are based on an examination of environmental policies that govern Red Sea tourism practice and development. These were determined by analysing laws and legislation, conducting in-depth, unstructured interviews with key informants, and through observation and recording along the Egyptian Red Sea coast. It was found that external and top-down initiation of environmental awareness, multiplicity of institutions and authorities, lack of a clear political voice for the environment, poorly-planned privatisation, and changing role of government impede the implementation of environmental policy.

Keywords: tourism growth; environmental management; environmental policy; environmental degradation; Egypt; policy implementation; Red Sea; privatisation; legislation; environmental awareness; government role.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTA.2015.071936

International Journal of Tourism Anthropology, 2015 Vol.4 No.3, pp.203 - 218

Received: 28 Nov 2013
Accepted: 26 Oct 2014
Published online: 24 Sep 2015 *

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