| At Come to Egypt Tours, we take our global responsibilities seriously. After all, we are passionate about the places we visit and want to help preserve them. We need your help to do this - by traveling responsibly you will contribute towards the communities and environments that you visit, as well as having a great holiday. Read on to find out more about traveling responsibly. |
What Is Responsible Tourism?
Responsible Tourism is about providing and having a more rewarding and fulfilling holiday. It's about being culturally sensitive and minimizing negative impacts on the environment. It's about getting involved with the local people - ensuring that your tourist dollar benefits the community and that the local people are involved in decisions that affect their lives. It's about helping to conserve the world's wild places. It's about sustainability and 'giving something back'.
Come to Egypt Tours is a tour operator, which has been operating environmentally and culturally sensitive holidays around the Middle East. We'll help you to 'get beneath the skin' of the countries you visit - to meet the local people on their terms, to learn about the history and culture, and to enjoy wilderness experiences that don't damage the environment. By traveling 'responsibly', you'll be making a positive contribution to the host communities and environments you visit, and ensuring that future travelers will enjoy the same privilege.
Responsible Tourism is a key plank of our corporate philosophy. You can read our Responsible Tourism Policy on our website. We do our best to adhere to this policy (and we welcome any feedback on our operations), but we need your help. Following are some suggestions on how to minimize your impact and to facilitate interaction and understanding. By following them, we believe you'll have a far richer and more rewarding holiday experience. |
Before you leave home
The more you know about your holiday destination before you leave, the more you will be able to appreciate and understand it once you're there.
* Try to read up on the history, wildlife and culture. Using the internet, music, films and TV documentaries.
* Learn some of the local language - even if it's just "hello", "good-bye" and "thank you". "Can I take your photo?" will get you a long way with reluctant models.
Most developing countries don't have waste collection services, so try to leave as much excess packaging (eg film boxes, plastic bags etc) at home and when you're buying toiletries and other stocks, stick to biodegradable products.
Consider the clothes you're packing. Many developing countries - particularly in the Middle East - have very modest dress codes. High cut shorts, sleeveless tops and revealing bathers, for women OR men, can be offensive. By dressing inappropriately, you may be putting up a barrier between yourself and the people you want to interact with. Loose clothing that covers limbs not only protects you from the sun and insects, but also will ensure you're more readily accepted by the local people.
Likewise, leave expensive jewellery at home - not only can it attract thieves; it's a tactless reminder of the differing standards of wealth between the west and the third world.
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People, Customs and Etiquette
Meeting and interacting meaningfully with the local people and experiencing foreign cultures are often the most memorable highlights of a holiday. Your Egypt Highlight’s holiday will provide many opportunities for both, however just as at home; respect, consideration and an open mind are needed for these interactions to be mutually enjoyable. Don't be surprised if the local people - especially in remote areas - treat you with an equal measure of curiosity, and even suspicion!
Put yourself in their shoes. It's easy to judge another culture by our own standards and assumptions, but it's worth keeping in mind:
* You are a guest in the community - please respect your hosts and behave as you'd expect a guest to behave in your home.
* Other cultures have different concepts of 'time', among other things - you'll find it a lot less stressful if you go with the flow and you may even re-assess your own ideas!
* Keep an open mind and don't be too quick to judge: we do things differently back home - not better, just differently.
* Don't be too quick to generalize. For example, one bad experience with a taxi driver doesn't mean all cabbies are thieves.
* Please be respectful of local customs. Read up before you go and ask your tour leader, or a local, if you're unsure. Observe, listen and take your cue from the local people.
* Nudity, scanty or inappropriate dress often causes offence, particularly in Moslem countries. Modest dress will help minimize the risk of sexual harassment (locals won't readily assume you're 'available') and you'll be treated with a lot more respect.
* Formalities such as greetings can be quite different to what you're used to. It's often best to wait for the local person to make the first move - be it a handshake or a nose rub! Public displays of affection are taboo in many communities.
* Please respect private property and sites where access may be limited, by asking permission. Please also abide by the laws of the country and community you're visiting.
It's often painfully hard to resist the pleadings of beggars, be they children calling for 'bonbons' or adults with terrible disabilities. In most cases, we strongly recommend you do not give money or other 'gifts' (such as pens or lollies) to beggars. In many countries, such actions have actually helped create a begging fraternity that undermines traditional culture and social structures, and almost inevitably eliminates any chance for equitable interaction between locals and foreigners. In some cases children skip school or are forced out by their parents, and are even deliberately maimed or drugged to increase their earning capacity as beggars.
An alternative is to give of your 'self', rather than your 'wealth' - share a joke or a meal, start a conversation, take a photo or play a game.
If you would like to make a contribution, ask your leader about local community projects where your money will be used to the best advantage or where you can perhaps physically involved Egypt Highlight’s supports and has initiated such schemes in some of the areas in which it operates (refer to the end of this booklet).
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Sex Tourism
Prostitution is illegal in most of the countries in which we operate, including Thailand and many parts of South East Asia. It goes without saying that we vehemently discourage your participation in this industry, and if you are found to be breaking the law you may be asked to leave your tour. |
Photography
Please always ask before taking someone's photo, and respect his or her wishes. Usually just lifting your camera with a questioning look will suffice as a request, although asking in the person's own language is even better. A smile goes a long way!
We suggest that you don't pay for taking photos of people - it becomes another form of begging, with similar consequences. Usually, if you take a little time to talk to your subject, they will agree to be photographed - you end up with a far more relaxed subject, and you each have a more enjoyable and memorable experience.
If you promise to send someone a photo, please try to follow through. Our leaders can sometimes help out, delivering the prints the next time they're passing through. A small Polaroid camera that can produce 'instant' prints is always a huge hit! These days, a digital camera can also be a great asset, enabling you to immediately show your subjects their photos. |
Bargaining
Bargaining is a fundamental part of the shopping experience in many countries, but what many westerners don't realize is that it's not about securing the lowest possible price. It's about fair trade and reaching a tactical agreement that suits both parties. The social interaction is as much a part of the process as the financial outcome. Keep this in mind, and perhaps consider that low prices often mean low wages. Have fun with it and keep things in perspective, but don't be mean-spirited. Does haggling over that last dollar really make a difference to you, compared to the vendor? |
Religious and Historic Sites
* Please respect the physical and cultural integrity of religious and historic sites.
* Ensure you are appropriately dressed and aware of particular actions that may cause offence. For example, in many countries, it is considered disrespectful to point the soles of your feet at a religious shrine; others have rituals of ablution, or clothing regulations, that must be observed before entering.
* If you're exploring archaeological ruins, be mindful of where you're putting your feet - those 1000-year-old stones may be under threat from being explored to death!
* Don't succumb to the temptation to souvenir a piece of stone or pottery or other artifact.
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Food
Many of the countries we visit have a distinctive and exciting cuisine - sampled local delicacies and shared meals with the local people are invariably the stuff of rich memories. We encourage you to support local restaurants, often family-run, by trying out their food. If you're eating on the street or in markets, stick to hot food cooked in front of you, and eat from establishments where there is a high turnover, where freshness is more likely to be assured. Avoid raw foods or any that may have been washed in un-purified water or drinks containing un-purified ice. If in doubt, ask your leader - he or she can also provide restaurant recommendations.
On safaris, many of your meals will be prepared by Egypt Highlight's cooks. You can be assured of the freshness of the ingredients, the purity of the water and hygienic preparation.
A fundamental principle of our approach to Responsible Tourism is our commitment to employ local people as leaders and staff wherever possible, at all levels of the organization. We operate comprehensive training courses for all our local leaders and each year we try to help them improve their skills. Not only does this policy mean the best possible holiday experience for our clients, it provides a career path for our leaders and staff and ensures the benefits remain in the local community.
Our leaders are a great source of information about the country and its people and can be invaluable in helping you understand and interact with them. They can help you avoid cultural blunders, and their knowledge gives you a great insight into all aspects of the country, including local customs and traditions. Not only can they speak the language, they're passionate about their homeland. On tour, they'll introduce you to friends and family, and help you to get to know the local people on their own terms.
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Camping
We try to keep our impact on a campsite to an absolute minimum - leaving the site in the same, or preferably better, condition than we found it.
We aim to locate tents at least 30 meters away from streams and lakes and, to prevent erosion; we ask that you do not dig drainage ditches around your tent.
While that patch of lush green grass looks like the ideal spot to pitch your tent, mountain meadows and tundra contain important - and very fragile - plants, which can easily be damaged, so we try to select a sandy or hard surface for our campsites (that's where roll mats and thermarests come in!).
When we break camp, please help us by doing a quick check of the site, removing any scraps left by your group, or by others. |
Toilet Hygiene
* While on the Nile please place all toilet paper and sanitary items in the bags provides and we will dispose of them.
* Make sure you're at least 100 meters away from any watercourse
* If we are building a group latrine, we find an area with good ground cover and try to remove the top layer of soil intact. When in camp, always use the latrine in the toilet tent if one is provided - your leader will explain the details of 'latrine etiquette' to you. Before leaving, we fill the hole, replace the top layer of soil and scatter soil or leaf litter over the top.
* Don't forget to thoroughly wash your hands - for your own health as well as that of other group members.
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Rubbish
Disposing of rubbish properly in the developing world is a little more complex than back home. Most of the countries we visit don't have 'organized' waste disposal systems. In many places, almost all the waste generated was biodegradable or recyclable until the very recent introduction of plastics and other consumables. The local infrastructure cannot cope with the changed situation, and often the local people don't have a clear understanding of the impact of unfettered littering.
We encourage you to go the extra step and remove any rubbish left by others. Carry a plastic bag for collecting your rubbish during the day. If you can take your non-biodegradable waste, such as batteries and plastic film canisters, back home with you, you'll be making a positive impact on an enormous problem. |
Washing and Water Pollution
* Protecting water resources is vital. Where practical, we camp well away from water sources.
* We urge you to use only biodegradable soaps and shampoos that don't contain phosphates, and please don't use them directly in fresh waterways as even biodegradable soaps can be harmful.
* If bathing or swimming, consider the sensibilities of local people - both regarding what you wear and using 'their' water. Bathe downstream from water collection points or villages and, if you're using shampoos and soaps, lather up and rinse well away from the water's edge - your leader can give you a basin. |
| Come to Egypt Tours also has an extensive 'Guidelines for Responsible Tourism' document. To download this click here. |
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