The Impact of Political Events on National Archaeological Heritage and Tourism Industry: Study Case of Egypt after January 25th, 2011

Tourism plays an essential role in supporting the National Economy. Egypt was ranked as one of the most attractive touristic destinations worldwide. Tourism as a service sector affects political events and unstable conditions. Within the revolution of January 25th, 2011, tourism became below standards, and the archeological heritage sites were subject to threat. Because of the political tension and social instability, Egypt's tourism sector has drastically dropped. Currently, Egypt is working on overcoming the crisis caused by political unrest. However, it is expected to take a long time to get back to where it was, especially in terms of regaining the confidence of travelers in the country's ability to guarantee and maintain security and stability. Recently, many great projects have been done, such as; New Administrative Cairo Capital, New Suez Canal logistic project, New City of Al Alamin, New Grand Egyptian Museum, as well as other great projects that reflect positively on the tourism industry and archaeological heritage development in Egypt.




References:
[1] UKEssays.com. (2018). Heritage Tourism on Archaeological Sites in Egypt Tourism Essay. (online) Available at https://www.ukessays.com/essays/tourism/heritage-tourism-on-archaeological-sites-in-egypt-tourism-essay.php [Accessed 20 Jan. 2020].
[2] Centre, UNESCO. (2020). Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur. (online) Web.archive.org. Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20190515090806/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/86 (Accessed 20 Jan. 2020).
[3] Centre, UNESCO. (2020). Historic Cairo. (online) Web.archive.org. Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20190412125234/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/89/ (Accessed 20 Jan. 2020).
[4] Centre, UNESCO. (2020). Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis. (online) Web.archive.org. Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20190519131508/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/87/ (Accessed 20 Jan. 2020).
[5] Centre, UNESCO. (2020). Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae. (online) Web.archive.org. Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20190515090801/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/88 (Accessed 20 Jan. 2020).
[6] Centre, UNESCO. (2020). Saint Catherine Area. (online) Web.archive.org. Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20190410103353/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/954 (Accessed 20 Jan. 2020).
[7] Ikram, S., 2013. Cultural heritage in times of crisis: The view from Egypt, Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology & Heritage Studies 1(4): 366-371.
[8] Smarthistory.org. (2020). Cultural heritage at risk: Egypt – Smarthistory. (online) Available at https://smarthistory.org/cultural-heritage-egypt/ (Accessed 20 Jan. 2020).
[9] Hanna, M. & Ikram, S., 2013. Looting Egypt: Abu Sir Al-Maleq, Daily News Egypt June 5- http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/06/05/looting-egypt-abu-sir-al-maleq.
[10] ECHO Website - www.e-c-h-o.org.
[11] Halime, F., 2012. Nytimes.com. (2020). Revolution Brings Hard Times for Egypt's Treasures. (online) Available at https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/01/world/middleeast/revolution-brings-hard-times-for-egypts-treasures.html (Accessed 20 Jan. 2020).
[12] Thomas, S., 2012. Traffickingculture.org. (2020). Egyptian Museum in Cairo – Thefts and Recoveries in 2011 « Trafficking Culture. (online) Available at https://traffickingculture.org/encyclopedia/case-studies/egyptian-museum-cairo-thefts-and-recoveries-in-2011/ (Accessed 20 Jan. 2020).
[13] El-Aref, N. 2015. Al-Arish Museum badly damaged by Sinai violence, Ahram Online January 30 -http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/44/121776/Heritage/Museums/AlArish-Museumbadly-damaged-by-Sinai-violence.aspx.
[14] Tresilian, D., 2014. Egypt’s heritage crisis, Al Ahram Weekly Issue No. 1207, 24 July http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/News/6818/32/Egypt%E2%80%99s-heritage-crisis.aspx.
[15] Lehr, D., 2014. Digging out of tourism downfalls: Egypt's archaeology takes the stage, Huffington Post December 17 - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deborah-lehr/digging-out-of-tourismdo_b_6341104.html.
[16] Keshk, F. 2011. Egyptian antiquities suffering due to turmoil at the top, Egypt Independent August 17 -http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/egyptian-antiquities-suffering-due-turmoil-top.
[17] Huisman, D. J., 2012. Deep impact: What happens when archaeological sites are built on? Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites 14(1): 60-71.
[18] Hanna, M., 2013. Ancient Heliopolis under threat, Daily News Egypt June 19.
[19] Waxman, S., 2008. Loot: The Battle over the Stolen Treasures of the Ancient World. New York: Times Books, Henry Holt, and Company, LLC.
[20] Moustafa, N. 2014. Fear and looting in Egypt - visible from space, American Al Jezeera February 13 -http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/techknow/blog/2014/2/13/fear-andlootinginegyptvisiblefromspace.
[21] Ikram, S., 2011. Collecting and repatriating Egypt’s past: Toward a new nationalism, in H. Silver (ed) Contested Cultural Heritage: Religion, Nationalism, Erasure, and Exclusion in a Global World. New York: Springer, pp. 141-154.
[22] Hanna, M., 2013. What has happened to Egyptian heritage after the 2011 unfinished revolution? Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology & Heritage Studies 1(4): 371-375.
[23] Varner, T., 2014. Saving cultural heritage, one tweet at a time, Saving Antiquities For Everyone -http://www.savingantiquities.org/saving-antiquities-one-tweet-time/
[24] نرمين عفيفى, 2019. مصر تحقق أعلى إيرادات سياحية في تاريخها بـ12.6 مليار دولار Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20191006150137/https://www.elwatannews.com/news/details/4365667 (Accessed 20 Jan. 2020).
[25] أسماء سمير , 2019. مصر تتصدر الوجهات السياحية الأعلى نموا فى العالم: الجمهورية اون لاين. (2020). الجمهورية أون لاين. (online) Available at: https://m.gomhuriaonline.com Accessed 20 Jan. 2020.
[26] El-Alifi A., 2020. www.ahram.org.eg. Thursday 23 Jan. 2020. No. 48625.
[27] جريدة المال. (2020). صندوق النقد يتوقع ارتفاع إيرادات السياحة في مصر لتقترب من 17 مليار دولار - جريدة المال. (online) Available at: https://almalnews.com/%D8%B5%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%82-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%82%D8%AF-%D9%8A%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%82%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%B9-%D8%A5%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%8A/?fbclid=IwAR3dHUDUTXRlxf6nEO4KqE6i9OfKmaNEzVSKLuLmHaPyeH9sBkOixNEmOqE (Accessed 27 Jan. 2020).
[28] Smith M., 2011. Reuters. (2020). Egypt tourist numbers to rise 5-10 pct in 2014 -minister. (online) Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20151117033514/http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/11/egypt-tourism-idUSL5N0RC3CF20140911 (Accessed 20 Jan. 2020).
[29] Germany Lifts Taba Travel Ban, 2019 retrieved from https://egyptianstreets.com/2019/07/01/germany-lifts-its-travel-ban-that-prevented-germans-from-visiting-taba/?fbclid=IwAR2A5PoOzz8mNjrmjPGM3lWu8Sl4Pjr8XOYXlL61zefctO0cbIfltfp9FK8.
[30] Le Point Afrique, 2020. LiEgypte affiche ses ambitions retrieved from https://www.lepoint.fr/afrique/tourisme-l-egypte-affiche-ses-ambitions-10-01-2020-2357141_3826.php?fbclid=IwAR29SB03bgRAG89d9QTDGOYaVDNW0pGI2mBaJgdSVku0fY1w5lvqXl73csM#xtmc=batouti&xtnp=1&xtcr=1.
[31] Sanand S.R, 2020, Grand Egyptian Museum opening and ticket prices: Over 15 million tourists expected to visit Egypt in 2020. Retrieved from https://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/travel-tourism/grand-egyptian-museum-opening-and-ticket-prices-over-15-million-tourists-expected-to-visit-egypt-in-2020/1819295/?fbclid=IwAR2JrSsVrBNtAXCqUV0a3BT_chIwXxRkEVG0GZ7w4fSTBOH4gvKlTOmrcGo.
[32] Brederova, B., 2014. The Looting and Deliberate Destruction of Cultural Heritage during Social and Political Unrest of the 21st Century: The Search for Solution. Unpublished Masters Dissertation, Reading: The University of Reading, Department of Archaeology.
[33] Travel in Egypt, 2018. International, E., and International, E. (2020). Travel in Egypt | Market Research Report | Euromonitor. (online) Web.archive.org. Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20190402184821/https://www.euromonitor.com/travel-in-egypt/report (Accessed 20 Jan. 2020).
[34] Boyle, K., 2014. Egypt turns to technology in an effort to protect ancient treasures from looters, The Guardian June 1 - http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/01/egypt-museum-theft-satellite-technology.
[35] Tassie, G. J. & Hassan, F. A., 2009. Sites and monuments records (SMRs) and cultural heritage management (CHM), in F. A. Hassan, G. J. Tassie, A De Trafford, L. S. Owens & J. van Wetering (eds.) Managing Egypt’s Cultural Heritage: Proceedings of the First Egyptian Cultural Heritage Organisation Conference on Egyptian Cultural Heritage Management. London: Golden House and ECHO Publications, pp. 191-205.
[36] Wolfenberger, J. 2014. Avoiding the Mummy's Curse: How Museums Can Work to Raise Awareness and Prevent Looting in Egypt. Unpublished Masters Dissertation. Pleasant Hill (Cal.): John F. Kennedy University.
[37] El-Dorry, M.-A. 2011. Why do people loot? The case of the Egyptian revolution, Al Rawi: Egypt’s Heritage Review 2: 20-21.
[38] Aas, C., Ladkin, A. & Fletcher, J. 2005. Stakeholder collaboration and heritage management, Annals of Tourism Research 32(1): 28–48.
[39] El-Aref. N. 2014. Protecting architectural heritage, Al Ahram Weekly Issue No. 1194, 24 April -http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/News/6040/47/Protecting-architectural-heritage.aspx