Egypt: Social Responsibility under Difficult Conditions

In Egypt, it is not easy to integrate personal encounters between tourists and local people into tourist itineraries, says Heinz Fuchs. He reports on the efforts made by the German church-related tour operator "Biblische Reisen" to organise tours to Egypt in a socially responsible manner.

Due to "security concerns", every movement of a tourist group needs to be registered with the tourist police. Just before the elections, which were held in late November 2010, the social climate in Egypt was a climate of fear and uncertainty. Yet, "Biblische Reisen" continues to promote intercultural encounters and interreligious dialogue by having groups visit social projects and meet with Christian and Muslim organisations.

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