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TOURISTS HAVE TRAVELLED to Egypt’s ancient pyramids and historic monuments for centuries.
But tourism has dropped rapidly in recent years, as violent conflicts following the 2011 revolution have been particularly successful in scaring off travellers.
According to a recent Reuters article, 9.9 million tourists visited Egypt in 2014, compared to 14.7 million people in 2010. The country’s tourism minister recently said that he expects that number to be around 10 million again this year.
“From January until the end of August the rise was very little, barely 5%,” he told Reuters.
In 2014, photographer Ben Terzza left Wales with his partner to live in Egypt for several months. A teaching job had been offered to his partner, so Terzza decided to tag along.
Terzza and his partner eventually made a trip to the capital city of Cairo. What they found there was a disappointing surprise. Cairo felt desolate and was visibly empty, which Terzza captured in a selection of his photos below.
After four months of living in Egypt, Terzza and his partner decided to take a trip to Cairo around Christmas time. It was about five hours north of El Gouna, where they had been staying.
They were warned to be careful while visiting Cairo, and sure enough, they felt isolation in the air as soon as they got there.
When they went to the Saqqara pyramids on the edge of the Cairo region, they found they were the only people there. Besides feeling nervous to be off that far alone, they were also being bothered by locals while they were walking around.
The locals were constantly asking Terzza and his partner for their tickets, begging for money, and trying to show them around the premises.
Terzza even had to resort to shouting at them to stop them from bothering him, which he was uncomfortable doing.
But Terzza knew it was deep-seated problem. “As you spoke to more and more locals, the reality of their political, economic, and social cultures started to make sense,” he says.
He had done plenty of research about the state of the country beforehand, but the level of corruption and dysfunction within the government was still both surprising and upsetting.
According to Terzza, one of the most disturbing parts of Egypt’s culture was their sense of women’s rights, which were pretty much nonexistent. “To watch my partner be treated like dirt was extremely infuriating,” he said.
Not many other people were there to check out the pyramids with Terzza.
Egypt has had problems with tourism in the past. Visitors declined dramatically after a group of 58 tourists were killed in a 1997 attack by Islamic militants.
It is a priority for the government to get the industry booming again. Tourism is one of Egypt’s biggest moneymakers, bringing in billions of dollars a year.
The tourism minister of Egypt told Reuters that the country is planning to launch a global advertising campaign in November.
Even if tourism makes a rebound, however, the country still has a lot to work out with its government and citizens.
Until then, a campaign might not be enough to save them.
More of Terzza’s work can be seen on his Instagram and Twitter.
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Won’t be the first time he’s been completely isolated with Wilson.
@T Colton: besr comment ive seen this year. Take a bow son.
@T Colton: you sir have won the internet!
@T Colton: Knowing Tom, after he tested positive, he probably got the rest of the cast away…
@T Colton: bring back comment of the week.
You, sir, nailed it
@T Colton: absolute peach. Would be up there for comment of the year
@T Colton: Well done Sir
@T Colton: you are on the ball there.
If they were at home in the US they wouldn’t have been tested and therefore wouldn’t have the virus #Trumplogic
@The Guru: Shut up you absolute moron!
@Pád: not very nice there lad. Can you be sounder?
@The Guru: they’ve confirmed over 13000 cases. Can you quantify your comment?
@thomas patrick: You’ve an extra Zero there. 1,300 cases. They have only tested 1,700. Less than Ireland. With about 65 times the population.
@thomas patrick: The USA only has 1300 confirmed cases, not 13000.
@Pád: Have a great day!
@Bilbo Baggins: So they tested 1700 people and detected 1300 cases????
@David Walters: Varying reports but most put they’re test count below 2k in the last week. But yeh they’re basically only testing in certain places with advanced symptoms so far.
@Bilbo Baggins: slip of the oul thumb there. Thanks
Life is like a box of chocolates, ya never know what ya gonna get.
@Damien: The one I thought of was Philadelphia.
Sad to see Tom all shook up. Hope it’s a speedy recovery
NBA season has been canceled after a player has tested positive. Maybe now people might start taking it seriously. Maybe.
@Adam Sheridan: Not a chance. Virus bashing is the new cool. “Calm down people, it only kills you if you believe it’s real”.
Wonder what the test criteria is in Australia. Just showing symptoms described wouldn’t warrant a test here. There is probably hundreds walking around with it unbeknownst to themselves.
I’m sorry Wilson!!!!!
This man has survived a plane crash, being stranded on a deserted island, pirates, being stuck in an airport terminal for months, pirates and being in space. Coronavirus ain’t sh*t on him
All the best and I wish you both a speedy recovery
@Marianne: thanks
You’ve got a friend in…… Hell no
Holy shit if famous rich people can get this we have a teal problem!!!!! Now its tome to panic
@Opinionated: me thinks you have a real problem! When you can’t even spell.
“we’ll keep the world posted” thanks Tom, I’m sure the whole of the world are waiting with bated breath.
Meanwhile Donald Trump has declared the Corona virus a terrorist organisation and blamed the Palestinians.
Hi boys
see the first post on my twitter
only 18+
have your say