TOURISM AND ITS IMPACT ON CULTURAL PATTERN IN BAHARIYA OASIS

Document Type : Research articles.

Author

Social Studies-Socioeconomic Division – Desert Research Center

Abstract

The research aimed to identify the impact of tourism on cultural pattern with its
both sides physical and moral on tourism workers. It identified the most important problems
facing tourism workers in Bahariya Oasis. The problems and the main suggestions to
overcome them are exposed from the perspective of the respondents. All the employees at
the hotels of the Oasis are included in the research. They were (100) personnel working in
tourism. The data collection was made by focused group discussion method. On this basis,
the research included ten groups of in-depth discussion; each group consists of 10
respondents. The data were collected during February 2015.
The most important results: Many women of the Oasis use frozen vegetables on an
ongoing basis in other words the majority of the Oasis' houses uses frozen vegetables, and
sometimes frozen meat and poultry as well as . They also buy bread and baguette (bread).
The results also clarified that there is a change in eating and drinking habits, they
now use spoons in eating as a result of working with tourists. The results also showed that
working in tourism and having direct contact with tourists has led to a change in their
environmental behavior and it increased their positive attitude towards environmental
protection. Personal hygiene, health and nutrition awareness for tourism employees has also
been increased. Another result is that working in tourism helped in teaching personnel;
discipline at work, time and dates respect, in addition to sleeping and waking up early.
The results showed that drinking beer and alcohol has become common among young
people. Also doing banjo and hashish (drugs) has become prevalent among youth. These
new habits appeared as a result of many factors as seeing the tourists drinking, having direct contact with them, trying to imitate others in addition to the absence of respect from young
to older people.
The results indicated that young people boast that they work in tourism and that
they have large income, which lead to competition and many conflicts between them.
Also, the income that has been increased as a result of working in tourism, made the women
stop making handicrafts and home ware as she used to make these handicrafts to help her
husband. And now she does nothing, but sitting at home enjoying comfort and watching
television.
Respondents pointed that growing incomes, increasing needs, and stopping writing
the household list (the list of households that is signed by the husband for his wife to prove
her right); all these points has led to an increase in the divorce rate. Another reason that
leads to divorce is the distrust between men and women because of their work with female
foreigners which causes jealousy and distrust.
The absence of tourist offices in the Oasis is one of the main problems that face the tourism
respondents. Another problem is the lack of language skills for tourism workers and tour
guides. Also, there is no security for the tourists during Safari or tourism programs. There
are not any Multilanguage publications that indicate the Oasis monuments and information
that tourists are interested in. Respondents said that the Tourism Promotion Authority does
not support the tourist companies or hotels, which leads to the stumble of some tourism
workers.
The main suggestions: There must be some tourist offices in the Oasis. The presence of
specialists to work as tour guides with tourists is a must. Secure procedures must be found
during Safari trips. Publications that indicate the tourist places in the Oasis must be
available in all languages for tourists. Tourism Promotion Authority must try to support
tourist agencies, companies and hotels, especially during the stumble of tourism.



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