After massive financial losses in the tourism industry in 2020, the Egyptian government threw extravagant made-for-TV events into 2021 to attract new international visitors. But a rising swell of critics say the glamor did little to bring more desperately needed jobs and revenue to the people who work in the industry. For VOA, Hamada Elrasam has this photo story. Captions by Elle Kurancid.
In Photos: Highs and Lows of Egypt’s 2021 Effort to Boost Tourism
1
Visitors zipline at a church site in the hills near Cairo, Jan. 6, 2021. After a 70% drop in Egypt’s tourism revenue in 2020, officials focused the year on rebuilding the industry. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)
2
Workers who lost their tourism-related jobs over the past two years tell VOA that they now rely on the agricultural sector for survival, in Luxor, Egypt, April 9, 2021. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)
3
In an effort to boost tourism, Egyptian officials parade 22 royal mummies across Cairo to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, in Cairo, April 3, 2021. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)
4
Egypt’s run-down railway system sees hundreds of accidents each year, including a series of crashes last spring that killed dozens, injured hundreds, and disrupted travel for workers and domestic tourists, in Banha, April 18, 2021. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)