Impact Study -Phase 1 Tourism Development for the City of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

Impact Study -Phase 1 Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

This study is elaborated by Datacom srl through a grant awarded to DATACOM by the Romanian Government through ROAid Romanian Agency for International Development Cooperation

Bucharest, 2019

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

Disclaimer

The purpose and scope of Phase-1 of the Impact Study is to assess tourism, analyze and evaluate the city potential and local offering, identify the main challenges and define the terms of reference for distinct and transferable interventions for the development of tourism for the city of Alexandria.

All the information included in this Phase-1 Impact Study is based on data/information gathered from various primary and secondary sources and is based on certain assumptions, which may differ from case to case.

Although, due care and diligence has been taken in compiling this document, the contained information may vary due to any change in the environment.

All views and opinions expressed therein remain the sole responsibility of the authors, and not necessarily represent those of the institute.

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

Authors Project Manager: George Spyrou Experts: CNE, Chrysses Nicolaides Reviewer: Cristina Nacar

Contributors:

Dr Yasser Gaber Dessouky, Dean of Scientific Research and Innovation of the Arab Academy of Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT)

Dr Yassmine Amzy, program chair of the tourist department in the AASTMT

Dr Islam Abdelkareim, Associate Professor of Tour Guiding, Modern and contemporary history of AASTMT. Special thanks for the support from:

Capt Tarek Shahin Aly Shahin, the Chairman of the Alexandria Port Authority

Professor Akram Soliman, Chairman of the organizing Committee for the International Conference on Maritime Transport and Logistics "MARLOG"

Captain Ibrahim El-Attar, Head of Maritime Stud Dept

Mohamed Fouad, CEO & Founder of Media Station Agency Beneficiary representative support:

Dr Walid Abdelazim Ibrahim Elbarki, Advisor to the Governor of Alexandria

Economic Management: Auget Finance General Counsel: One Consulting Ionut Melnic Coordination: DATACOM srl. EuNet Business Development

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

Contents Table of figures ...... 5 Abbreviations and Acronyms ...... 6 1. Executive Summary ...... 7 2. Introduction ...... 8 3. The city of Alexandria ...... 8 4. Tourism ...... 8 5. Evaluation / Characteristics ...... 11 5.1 Transportation infrastructure ...... 11 5.2 Modes of transportation ...... 12 5.3 Alexandria Airport ...... 13 5.4 Alexandria Port ...... 14 5.5 Accommodation ...... 15 5.6 Travel agents / tour operators ...... 16 5.7 Employment ...... 17 5.8 Alexandria's Attractions ...... 17 6. Areas of Improvement ...... 26 7. Proposed ideas for tourism development in Alexandria ...... 26 7.1 The old/historical city center open wall museum ...... 27 7.2 Cycling to Alexandria Heritage ...... 27 7.3 ElShalalat Gardens Open-Air Museum ...... 28 7.4 City Tourism Tours ...... 28 7.5 Developing and rehabilitating of Al-Tahrir square ...... 29 7.6 Alexandria's web-site and a city-guide book ...... 31 7.7 Risks and public safety - Surveillance systems ...... 32 7.8 Cleaner streets and public spaces...... 32 8. Conclusions and recommendations ...... 34 8.1 Project Strategy ...... 34 8.2 Vision, Goals, and Objectives ...... 35 NEXT Steps ...... 36 References ...... 38

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

Table of figures

Figure 1: Scenes of the city of Alexandria ...... 9 Figure 2: The focus area – Alexandria Historical Center and the seafront ...... 11 Figure 3: The Cruise Terminal of the port of Alexandria ...... 14 Figure 4: The Port of Alexandria (photo Alexandria Port Authority) ...... 15 Figure 5: Hotel Statistics...... 16 Figure 6: Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Photo: UNDP 2013) ...... 18 Figure 7: The Alexandria National Museum ...... 19 Figure 8: Qaitbey Citadel ...... 20 Figure 9: Kom el-Dikka ...... 21 Figure 10: Cavafy Museum ...... 22 Figure 11: El Shatby Tombs ...... 23 Figure 12: Anfushi Tombs ...... 24 Figure 13: El Shallalat Gardens ...... 25 Figure 14: Tahrir square in the city center of Alexandria ...... 30 Figure 15: Safety and surveillance network ...... 32 Figure 16: Stages of the project ...... 34

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

Abbreviations and Acronyms

AG Alexandria Governorate Alex-Med The Alexandria & Mediterranean Research Center Bibliotheca Alexandrina BA Bibliotheca Alexandrina BOT Build, Operate, Transfer EC European Commission ESIA Environmental and Social Impact Assessment FS Feasibility Study HORECA Hotel/Restaurant/Cafe ICT Information and Communication Technologies PFS Prefeasibility Study PPP Public, Private, Partnership RoAid Romanian state Agency for Cooperation and Development SCC Smart cities and communities SME’s Small and Medium enterprises SSC Smart and Sustainable City strategy TOR Terms of Reference TS Technical study UfM Union for the Mediterranean UNDP United Nations Development Program UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNWTO United Nations Word Tourism Organization WHS World Heritage Site

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

1. Executive Summary

The Phase-1 Impact Study for the Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria is part of the Alex-Smart project and follows the pre-feasibility for the city of Alexandria-Egypt, a study elaborated by Datacom s.r.l. through a grant awarded to DATACOM by the Romanian Government through the Agency for International Development and Cooperation (RoAid) in October 2019. The pre-feasibility phase of the 'Alex-Smart' project was completed in February 2019 and was accepted by the beneficiary, the Governorate of Alexandria, by Dr. Walid Abdelazim, advisor to the Governor of Alexandria.

Following the approval of the pre-feasibility study, ROAid has accepted the continuation of the Alex-Smart project with the development of the Impact Study focusing in the Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria. The detailed Impact Study will commence in early 2020 and will be executed in stages during 2020. The purpose of this report (Phase-1 of the Impact Study) is to accompany the presentation film on Alexandria and prepare an assessment and outline the terms of reference for the Impact Study to be carried out in the next stage of the project.

This report is based on the understanding of available information and general data about the city of Alexandria, supplemented with information and data collected by the Consultants in the field with visits to important sites and in discussions with the Governorate of Alexandria, with officials and experts from the Arab Academy of Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT), the Alexandria Port Authorities and with other local stakeholders.

Tourism is considered an important economic activity for Alexandria and there is an ongoing need and interest to integrate this sector into the local economy and support the development of various local economic activities, to create jobs and reduce poverty. The challenge is to develop tourism, remove the barriers and constraints, attract visitors and widen the benefits for the local community by creating an environment which fosters sustainable economic and social development. Main identified concerns include: increase tourism flows, city accessibility, transport and mobility, security issues, water management, garbage and waste management, heritage rehabilitation, touristic services education and facilities, promoting cruise tourism to include Alexandria as a destination.

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

2. Introduction

The Mediterranean has earned a reputation as the World Top Tourism Destination and one of the world’s most remarkable success stories in the tourism sector. Tourism is an important economic activity in the countries boarding the Mediterranean Sea and one of the focus areas for delivering sustainable growth and jobs. The International competition in the tourism market, coupled with the changing economy and the socio-economic challenges of the region are affecting the sector causing significant changes in tourist behavior and markets of origin.

The study should propose joint responses to these multiple challenges, aiming to boost tourist in Alexandria and support the development of sustainable tourism capitalizing on the unique sources of natural, cultural and historical wealth of the city.

3. The city of Alexandria

Alexandria has always been known as the Mermaid or the Pearl of the Mediterranean. It is the second metropolitan city in Egypt after Cairo and most regarded as the second capital after it had been its only capital in the past. Overlying the Mediterranean Sea, Alexandria was named after Alexander the Great, who built it in 331 B.C., to become the Hellenic Roman Capital of Egypt and a world center of culture and civilization. Since its foundation by Alexander the Great, Alexandria has always been the meeting point of cultures and civilizations as evidently witnessed by the numerous museums, monuments and relics from the Pharaonic, Hellenic, Roman, Coptic and Islamic times.

Alexandria is a port city with a true Mediterranean atmosphere, a cosmopolitan, history- rich, a multicultural city, "The Pearl of the Mediterranean". Its rich mosaic of citizens from around the Mediterranean and beyond, from innumerable ethnic and denominational backgrounds, who lived and worked side by side in a tolerant and pluralistic society, produced one of the greatest cosmopolitan cities of the twentieth centuries. With its unique location overlooking the Mediterranean, its temperate weather and its attractive beaches, Alexandria has been an essential spot on the itinerary of tourists visiting Egypt.

Today, Alexandria is a major tourist destination and a year-round seaside resort, with its historical attractions for whoever wishes to visit ancient monuments, get a glimpse at Alexandria's glorious past, or simply spend a sun-savvy vacation enjoying the golden sandy beaches, the shining sun, invigorating sea breeze, and fun-filled entertainment spots (Ministry of State For Administrative Development, 2019).

4. Tourism

Tourism is considered one of the major revenue drivers for Egypt as a whole. Although, Alexandria has a lot of potential as an old city for tourism, very few international tourists visit Alexandria. Most tourists visit Alexandria for 1 day and spend most of their visit in Cairo or other cities in Egypt.

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

Tourism in Alexandria is mainly driven by domestic tourists and limited international tourists arriving from the Arab world who go to Alexandria to enjoy its beaches and escape the hot weather of Cairo. Most of these visitors either own or rent apartment for long periods of time during the summer. As for tourists from other countries, usually they spend one day in Alexandria (arranged by travel agents) to see the major destinations of Alexandria and return back to Cairo on the same day. Alexandria can provide multiple tourism destinations:

• Beaches and resorts: Alexandria is known for its sandy Mediterranean beaches. • Historical sites: Alexandria has a lot of historical sites, i.e.: Alexandria Library, Alex’s Roman Amphitheater, Quaitbey Fort, etc. • Religious sites: there are multiple religious sites, i.e. Abu Abbas Al-Mursi mosque. • Medical tourism: Egypt as a country including Alexandria is a promising destination for medical tourism, with high standard in cosmetic surgery combined with low prices made Egypt a very reasonably priced medical destination. A quantity of specialized tour operators offer medical tourism packages that comprise of a choice of doctors and hospital, consultation, treatment, recovery plan and tours. • Conferences: A promising tourism in Alexandria is conference tourism according to major hotel operators, supported by the existence of the Alexandrina library.

Figure 1: Scenes of the city of Alexandria

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

Numbers and Statistics

This section analyses numbers and statistics, the number of hotels, the estimated number of domestic and international tourists, the average stay of incoming tourists. Due to the lack of updated figures, some figures presented are not up to date, still they provide an indication to the tourism activity in Alexandria.

Alexandria’s tourism contribution to GDP is less than 3% which is considered very low compared to the different kinds of Alex’s tourism potential1 . Alexandria captures less than 2% of the total incoming tourists arrival to Egypt2. Egyptians comprise 66% of tourists in Alexandria, where average stay is estimated 1.6 nights with European having the lowest average stay 1.4 nights and Africans having highest average stay of 2.3 nights 1.

According to WTTC, 2018 saw strong growth for Egyptian Travel &Tourism as it became the fastest-growing country in North Africa, growing by 16.5%-second only to Ethiopia when reviewing the whole continent of Africa. This growth has been linked to the improved security infrastructure, which has helped to attract international visitors back to Egypt's shores, and has allowed major travel companies to restart operations in popular destinations such as Sharm el Sheik.

This follows a year of record growth in 2017, which saw a Travel & Tourism growth rate of 54.8% in the country Egypt's Travel & Tourism sector now contributes EGP 528.7bn and supports 2.5 million jobs. This means that more than one in ten of all travel jobs (24 million) in Africa are located in Egypt. Although the sector has not yet fully recovered to pre-crisis levels, the size of the Egyptian travel economy in 2018 (USD$29.6bn) is the healthiest it has been since 2010. In total, international tourists spent over EGP 218.1 billion in Egypt last year, accounting for over 27.3% of total exports. The largest inbound international markets were Germany (13%) Russia (12%); the UK (7%), Saudi Arabia (6%), and Italy (3%) Combined with domestic spending, Travel & Tourism supported 11.9% of the nation's GDP in 2018 (WTTC, 2019).

As for statistics and numbers about the tourist flows in Alexandria, they are unavailable. The only available statistics are the number of tourist arrivals to each attraction in the city, and to obtain these figures security permits are required.

However, it is commonly known that before 2011, Alexandria was a one-day tour destination on most of the Egyptian tour programs to Egypt. After 2011, Alexandria shows a drop in tourist flows from 1.3 million tourists in 2010 to 936.000 tourists in 2011 (Bassiony & Bayoumy, 2014). During this time, nearly all cruises to Egypt have stopped, and almost all international tour programs to Egypt removed Alexandria from their itinerary because of the security instability of the country, and all the programs focused

1 ‘’Strategic view of Alexandria 2050’, Alexandria University 2 ’Alex Final LED Report , World Bank Group and 3- ‘Egypt Tourism Report Q1 2011 , BMI

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart) more on the main attractions in Cairo and the Red Sea Resorts. Since 2011, Alexandria's tourism sector mainly depends on domestic tourism in the summer.

Recently, the tourism sector in the city started to recover again and there is a general feeling that the security issues are resolved to a large extend. Travel agencies started to put the city again on their tour programs, but the city –till today- did not regain its position in the Egyptian tourism to the prior of 2011 levels.

Therefore, a tourism development program is required together with an aggressive and targeted promotion of Alexandria as a tourism destination, to attract international tourists, to increase tourist flows, and to help the city to regain its position in the Egyptian tourism for the benefit of the local economy and the local society.

5. Evaluation / Characteristics

For the purpose of this study, the focus area is defined as the historical city center known as the ‘downtown’ extending along the seafront Corniche from Qaitbay Citadel and along El Gaish road to Stanley bridge area, enclosed by El Zaeem Gamal Abd El Nasser Street (see figure below).

Figure 2: The focus area – Alexandria Historical Center and the seafront

5.1 Transportation infrastructure

Alexandria is linked to other Egyptian cities by railway, road, and air service. It is also connected by canal with the Nile. Transport within the city is provided by tram service, as well as a system of taxis and buses. The main rail link to Cairo has been upgraded several

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart) times, and Alexandria is also the terminus for the rail line that runs to Al-Sallūm on the Libyan border. The Alexandria-Cairo desert highway is one of Egypt’s best roads; it has relieved pressure on the agricultural route through the delta region as well as encouraging desert development. Air transport services generally operate to Cairo, though a number of international carriers that begun service out of Alexandria as well. Severe limitations constricted the capacity for expansion of the old airport at Nuzhah, which was built on land reclaimed from Lake Maryūṭ; as a result, an airport located some 30 miles (50 km) southwest of the city at Burj al-ʿArab (Burg el-ʿArab) was opened to receive international flights in 2000. Another international airport, funded by private investment and designed to attract European tourists to Egypt’s Mediterranean beaches, opened at Al-ʿAlamayn in 2005 (Rowlatt, Mackie, & Reimer, 2019). More than half of Egypt’s foreign trade passes through the city’s two main commercial harbors, Alexandria and nearby Al-Dukhaylah. Much of the country’s oil, gas, and cotton are exported through these ports, as are traditional items such as fruits, vegetables, perfumes, and a variety of finished goods. By far the largest import is grain. Improvements have been implemented to relieve congestion, which can be severe. Egypt’s dependence on Alexandria’s ports has diminished somewhat with the opening of the new container- handling facilities at Damietta (Dumyāṭ) and the development of ports along the coast of the Red Sea.

5.2 Modes of transportation

The city enjoys different types of transportations that can carry citizens as well as tourists from/to any part of the city such as: A. Public Buses: Public buses cover nearly all parts of the city and with low fares, but are usually crowded. However, there are similar air-conditioned buses that prohibit standing on the bus. They are located in the main squares in Alexandria (BibAlex, 2019). B. Public Taxis: Public taxis are found all over the city. Alexandria's taxis are famous for their orange-yellow and black color. When taking a taxi, you should agree on the fee before your ride (BibAlex, 2019). C. Tram: the cheapest (but not the fastest) means of transportation is the Tram (BibAlex, 2019). Tram service consists of two systems - Tram Al Madina is urban tram system, characterized with its yellow color (except for routes 25 & 36, which are red and yellow). The other - Tram Al Ramlh trams cars are characterized by their blue and cream livery (dimlys, 2019). D. Microbus: The microbus (pronounced ‘meekrobas’), often also called a micro or a minibus, is a (usually Toyota) van with seats for 14 passengers. Privately owned and usually unmarked, they run along most of the same routes as buses and with lower fares. The microbuses stop anywhere along the route on request, and will pick up riders along the way if there’s a free seat (lonely planet, 2019). E. Limousine companies, kareem and Uber services are also available.

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

Although Alexandria has a good transportation infrastructure and different modes of transportation, there are still challenges and areas of improvement: • The traffic congestions especially in summer (the high season of domestic tourism). • The unavailability of parking areas/lots even around the city's major tourist attractions (dimlys, 2019). • The lack of direction signage in the streets or the signs are mainly in Arabic. • Transportation vehicles are old, outdated and increase the pollution in the city. • Maintenance, repair and restoration requirement for some main roads. • The city has no dedicated lanes or tracks for bicycles or pedestrians. • It is inconvenient for tourists/visitors to use public transportation such as buses, tram or micro-buses as these are very crowded. • Some limousine companies and taxi drivers may charge tourists higher fees than for Egyptians.

5.3 Alexandria Airport

Alexandria is served by El Nouzha Airport which is currently closed and Borg El Arab Airport which is located about 25 km (16 mi) away from the city center. From late 2011, the Alexandria International Airport was to be closed to commercial operations for two years as it underwent expansion, with all airlines operating out of Borg El Arab Airport from then onwards, where a brand-new terminal was completed in February 2010. In 2017 the government officially announced that Alexandria International Airport will shut down for good due to operational reasons, after having initially announced that it was to open during mid-2017. Borg El Arab Airport had a major expansion in terms of the airport's passenger and cargo handling capacity in response to growing demand and the new facilities were inaugurated in 2010. The airport consists of a new passenger building and an administration building. The passenger terminal is designed in the shape of a boat and consists of three floors: • Ground floor: allocated for checking in and luggage handling. • Second floor: allocated for arrivals, both domestic and international, in addition to administrative offices and airlines offices. • Third floor: allocated for departures, both domestic and international, immigration procedures and a VIP hall. Commercial activities are spread among the three floors. • Four movable boarding bridges connect the terminal building to aircraft. The terminal contains a duty-free shop, a franchise food court, an area dedicated for travel offices and other travel-related services, a fuel supply unit, a control tower, and a fire station available to cover emergencies on site. A parking area in front of the building provides space for 350 vehicles.

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

The airport has the capacity to handle 1.2 million passengers per year becoming an adequate replacement to Alexandria International Airport, which shut down in summer 2010 while the airport's facilities are overhauled. After economic woes plagued the country following the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, the renovation of El Nouzha Airport was put on hold, leaving Borg El Arab as the only airport serving Alexandria. Although this airport is considered one of the main airports of Egypt, there is challenges and areas of improvement: • It is relatively far from the city center (45 kilometers) with the access road not in a good condition. • The capacity of the terminal buildings is not enough compared to the number of passengers using the airport. • There is only one active run-way. • Poor service quality due to exceeding the limits of the airport's carrying capacity. • Transport services to and from the airport is expensive.

5.4 Alexandria Port

The Port of Alexandria is on the West Verge of the Nile Delta between the Mediterranean Sea and Mariut Lake in Alexandria, Egypt and is considered the second most important city and the main port in Egypt. Alexandria port consists of two harbors (East and west) separated by a T-shaped peninsula. The East harbor is shallow and is not navigable by large vessels. The West harbor is used for commercial shipping. The harbor is formed by two converging breakwaters. The passenger part of Alexandria port has a couple of docks for cruise ships and a new terminal building with a number of shops located inside.

Figure 3: The Cruise Terminal of the port of Alexandria

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

In front of the terminal building, there is a tour bus parking area with souvenir stalls lined up on the sidewalk, selling typical Egyptian souvenirs: plush camels, belly dancing outfits, scarab paper holders, fake papyrus, sea shells etc. Although this port is considered one of the largest ports of Egypt, there is challenges and areas of improvement: • The capacity of the terminal building is not enough to accommodate and serve very large cruise ships. • Souvenir vendors and sellers try to exploit tourists. • The official blue taxis at the cruise terminal area are very expensive. • There is no real direct way or bridge that connects the port with the city center, a distance of about 4 kilometers, and the area needs attention and renovation.

Figure 4: The Port of Alexandria (photo Alexandria Port Authority)

5.5 Accommodation

According to Ministry of Tourism, there are currently 52 hotels in Alexandria City center target area. The figure on the right shows the number of hotels presented by their rating. As seen in the graph, most of the hotels are 2 and 3 stars which indicates that there is a lack in higher quality hotels in Alexandria. In the past few years, the government paid attention to increase the number of hotels with ratings of 4 or more by encouraging

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart) investors and international hotels to build in Alexandria. In 2007, the Egyptian president officially opened the Four seasons San Stefano hotel, which is 5 star rated. This hotel is over viewing the Corniche, has private beach on the Mediterranean Sea; it is also surrounded by a shopping mall, leisure complex. In mid-2009,Tolip Hotel on Cornish is a very good hotel and is Building a new hotel near Stanley Bridge. The city enjoys large diversified variety of accommodation facilities starting from luxury five-star hotels to humble inns and hostels and furnished apartments. The average length of stay in the city is one day (Eltayeb, 2016).

Figure 5: Hotel Statistics

The following list displays the most common hotels in the focus area: No. Hotel Name Classification Area 1 Steigenberger Cecil Alexandria **** Raml station Corniche Road 2 Windsor Palace Hotel **** Raml station Corniche Road 3 Paradise Inn Le Metropole **** Raml station Corniche Road 4 Chery Maryski Hotel **** El Mansheya 5 Semeramis Hotel *** Raml station Corniche Road 6 Al Maghraby Hotel *** El Mansheya 7 Alexander The Great Hotel *** El Mansheya El Soghra 8 Delta Hotel *** Chapelion st. 9 Philip House Motel Motel Raml station 10 Acropole Youth Hostel Raml station 11 Transit Alexandria Youth Hostel Raml station 12 Abeer Hotel Youth Hostel El Mansheya 13 Triomphe Hotel Youth Hostel Raml station

5.6 Travel agents / tour operators

Most of the market share in Egypt’s tourism is taken by small independently managed travel agent companies. The remaining market share is taken by the following known travel agents3 based in Egypt:

• Travco Group Holdings SAE • Thomas Cook Egypt • American Express (Middle East) EC • Nascotours S.A.E

3 Travel Retail-Egypt, Euromonitor International

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

• Blue Sky Travel LTD • Nawas Tourism Co. LTD • RTS (El-Raghy Travel Services)

5.7 Employment

Employment in the tourism industry does not constitute a large portion of the total employed in Alexandria. Such a small percentage in a historical major city in Egypt like Alexandria, shows the lack of tourism as a major revenue provider sector.

Usually employers in the Tourism industry look for employees graduates of Tourism and hotel division or Languages majors. One of the main criteria in the qualified candidate, is the number of languages the candidates can speak; usually it is required for the candidates to have at least 2 languages (Arabic and English). The needed major is provided in most of the universities whether public, private or institution (Associate degree).

5.8 Alexandria's Attractions

Alexandria has an abundance of touristic attractions due to partly to its unique geographical location in the Mediterranean and to its climate, which qualify it to play a major role in the tourism industry (ALEX MED, 2019).

Most of Alexandria tourist destinations and attractions existed within or near the old/historical center of the city. This historical center starts from Qaitbey citadel in Al Anfoushy district to Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Al Shateby Area. Any renovation or development actions preferred to be focused in this area where the tourist can feel the real authenticity of Alexandria. The following images displays Alexandria governorate as a whole and the location of the city historical center.

The Historical center of Alexandria is considered the heart of the city. Passing by Alexandria’s old town center is like crossing through an open museum that incorporates different architectural styles: Italian, British, Greek and French buildings stand and exhibit Alexandria’s history (Heba, 2011). It is the place where a tourist can feel the authenticity and the beauty of the city.

The following part will display the main tourist attractions and destinations in the focused area –the old historical center- with brief evaluation for each attraction's accessibility, availability of tourists' facilities and amenities, safety whether within the destination or around it and the attraction's need for development and renovation.

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

Bibliotheca Alexandrina

A re-imagining of Alexandria's ancient Great Library, this gorgeously designed cultural center contains a host of museums, as well as one of the modern world's most ambitious libraries. Its architecture — a giant sun disk — presides over the waterfront Corniche, while inside, a huge reading room can hold eight million volumes.

Figure 6: Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Photo: UNDP 2013)

Below the main library, visitors can explore a range of beautifully curated exhibitions.

Characteristics Evaluation (Good/Average/Bad) Type of Natural Attraction Attraction Man-Made Attraction Good

Accessibility Infrastructure Good Modes of Transportations Good Safety Within the destination area Good Around the destination area Good Needs of Renovation and development Good Availability of Tourists Facilities and amenities Good

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

The Manuscript Museum, with its magnificent collection of ancient texts and scrolls, and the Antiquities Museum, with its Greco-Roman antiquities and statuary found during underwater exploration in the harbor, are the two prime attractions. But there are also rotating art exhibitions, a permanent Egyptian folk art collection, and a Science Museum and Planetarium that are aimed squarely at children (Ministry of State For Administrative Development, 2019). Alexandria National Museum

Alexandria's National Museum is a must-stop if you want to get to grips with the vast history of this famed city. Inside, the collection guides you from the Pharaonic era (in the basement), to the Hellenistic heyday, when Alexandria and Egypt were governed by the Ptolemy dynasty begun by Alexander the Great (on the ground floor), and up to the Byzantine and Islamic periods (on the 1st floor).

Figure 7: The Alexandria National Museum

As well as the displays, statuary, and antiquities unearthed in and around the city (including finds from underwater explorations in the area offshore), there are excellent map drawings that imagine what the classical city of Alexandria would have looked like, which really helps visitors understand the changing face of this city.

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

Characteristics Evaluation (Good/Average/Bad) Type of Natural Attraction Attraction Man-Made Attraction Good

Qaitbey Citadel

Walk the long shore-front Corniche road heading west, and you'll finally arrive at Fort Qaitbey.

Figure 8: Qaitbey Citadel

It may be a poor substitute for what was once the site of the mighty Pharos Lighthouse — one of the seven wonders of the ancient world — but this squat and dinky fort has been standing guard over Alexandria's eastern harbor since 1480. The Pharos itself said adieu to Alexandria in 1303 when it was toppled by a violent earthquake.

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

Fort Qaitbey was built by Mamluke Sultan Qaitbey in an effort to fortify this important Egyptian port from attack, and rubble from the toppled lighthouse was used in its construction. Inside, you can explore the series of stone-walled chambers and climb up to the roof to look out over the Mediterranean.

Characteristics Evaluation (Good/Average/Bad) Type of Natural Attraction Attraction Man-Made Attraction Good

Accessibility Infrastructure Good Modes of Transportations Good Safety Within the destination area Good Around the destination area Average Needs of Renovation and development Good Availability of Tourists Facilities and amenities Good

Kom el-Dikka

Nobody thought much of the ancient rubble mound in central Alexandria until, in 1947, they decided to clear the site to make way for new housing. Instead, the area known as Kom el-Dikka ("Mound of Rubble") revealed a whole swag of ancient ruins, including a small Roman theater.

Figure 9: Kom el-Dikka

Excavation work commenced, and today, this park area includes the remnants of a Ptolemaic temple and the mosaic flooring of a wealthy Roman-era dwelling now known as the Villa of the Birds.

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

Characteristics Evaluation (Good/Average/Bad) Type of Natural Attraction Attraction Man-Made Attraction Good

Cavafy Museum

One of Alexandria's most famous sons, Constantine Cavafy (1863-1933), was a Greek Alexandrian poet who found fame and recognition for his writing after his death. His flat on what is now Sharm el-Sheikh Street is a tribute to his life and a major attraction for anyone on an Alexandrian literary pilgrimage.

Figure 10: Cavafy Museum

Cavafy spent his working life as a journalist and civil servant, little recognized for his poetry outside of a small group of Alexandrian-based writers (including English novelist E.M. Forster, who was a champion of Cavafy's work). His poetry, though, richly captures the vast history of Alexandria — particularly its Hellenistic origins — and he has become one of the greatly celebrated literary figures of the city. The small museum contains many of his manuscripts and correspondence.

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

Characteristics Evaluation (Good/Average/Bad) Type of Natural Attraction Attraction Man-Made Attraction Good

Accessibility Infrastructure Average Modes of Transportations Bad Safety Within the destination area Good Around the destination area Average Needs of Renovation and development Good Availability of Tourists Facilities and amenities Average

El Shatby Tombs

These tombs are dating back to 3rd century BC, just before the end of the Pharaonic period. At the time of their construction, there was a huge amount of Greek and Roman influence, although the Greeks were still in power at the time.

Figure 11: El Shatby Tombs

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

This merging of cultures can still be seen to this day, not only when visiting the tombs, but also throughout the city of Alexandria. Actually, it’s one of the qualities which help to make the area so fascinating. Although the tombs were originally constructed underground, most of the complex is now above ground, and the parts which are still underground are mostly off limits to tourists because of safety concerns.

Nonetheless, those partswhich are open have been carved from the native sandstone, and certainly worth a visit. The above ground region is truly lovely, and these days it also includes a small garden and a seating area that are usually very quiet and peaceful.

Characteristics Evaluation (Good/Average/Bad) Type of Natural Attraction Attraction Man-Made Attraction Good

Anfushi Tombs

The Anfushi Tombs were originally built in approximately 250 BC, towards the end of the Ptolemaic period, and just prior to the Roman period. Because of this, the tombs exhibit both Greek and Roman influence.

Figure 12: Anfushi Tombs

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

For instance, once inside the tombs, you’ll see Greek art, but you’ll also see plenty of Roman influence, including things like statues of the Sphinx and etc. Today, the tombs are accessible from the esplanade located in front of the Ras El-Tin Palace

Characteristics Evaluation (Good/Average/Bad) Type of Natural Attraction Attraction Man-Made Attraction Good

Accessibility Infrastructure Average Modes of Transportations Good Safety Within the destination area Good Around the destination area Average Needs of Renovation and development Good Availability of Tourists Facilities and amenities Average

ElShalalat gardens

It is an ancient garden that occupy a big area of Al Shatby neighborhood.

Figure 13: El Shallalat Gardens

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

ElShalalat gardens include registered historic monuments such as Roman cisterns, Hellenistic monuments, military fortresses, and the remains of Alexandria Islamic fence. In addition, the gardens are registered due to its distinctive design and rare plants.

Characteristics Evaluation (Good/Average/Bad) Type of Natural Attraction Good Attraction Man-Made Attraction

Accessibility Infrastructure Average Modes of Transportations Good Safety Within the destination area Good Around the destination area Good Needs of Renovation and development Good Availability of Tourists Facilities and amenities Average

6. Areas of Improvement

Based on the previous evaluation, it is obvious that most of the destinations/ attractions -in the focus area- require improvements: • Neglecting restoration and development of most attractions due to the lack of resources. • Unavailability of parking spaces/lots around nearly all the destinations. • Lack of information about transportation and how to get to each attraction. • Lack of clear guiding panels or signs in the streets or at sites. • The destruction of some historic buildings to accommodate new high-rise residential buildings. • Traffic congestions especially in the summer (high season of domestic tourism). • There is lack of facilities for disabled people. • Community awareness problems, eg. some taxi drivers and sellers may exploit tourists and visitors.

7. Proposed ideas for tourism development in Alexandria

It is believed that tourism in Alexandria has a lot more potential in growth as there are factors that are not aiding tourism to fully grow in the city. Some of these factors, are the lack of international marketing for Alexandria as a major touristic destination, the lack of coordination between local travel agents and other travel agents to organize longer than one day visit to the city. Other factors that can restrain growth of tourism in the city, are lack of qualified candidates to provide quality service for tourists and lack of night entertainment compared to other cities in Egypt.

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

Strong investments are needed to boost day tourism to generate high revenues for the local economy and high standard leisure activities, as shopping and cultural visits, can catch up value from tourists.

Tourism facilities should be denser in Alexandria city and Western North Coast. They should focus on resort, rather than vacation homes that tend to be converted to residential houses and do not correspond to short stay tourism.

Alongside Lake Maryut, luxury hotels and business facilities can be established. Road infrastructures should be developed within the Western North Coast and better reach Alexandria city and Cairo. The transportation system should be improved in order to facilitate rides between the Western North Coast, Al Agamy, the main resorts and Alexandria.

Moreover, the following ideas are proposed to initiate the tourism development process in Alexandria and create a multiplier effect:

7.1 The old/historical city center open wall museum

According to Calvino, the history of every city worldwide is what differentiates it from other cities, and gives it a distinctive identity (Tung, 2011). Passing by Alexandria’s old town center is like crossing through an open museum that incorporates different architectural styles: Italian, British, Greek and French buildings stand and exhibit Alexandria’s history. Alexandria used to attract famous creative writers such as EM Foster and Lawrence Durrell; in addition to architects and poets like the Greek poet Constantine Cavafy in the 19th and 20th centuries (Heba, 2011). Unfortunately, on a trip through the center it might be noticed that many buildings are found in a deteriorated state or demolished. Since the end of the 19th century Alexandria was a cosmopolitan city, home to a high number of foreigners who lived together and influenced the city to have a collection of an astonishing variety of architectural styles. The historical importance of cosmopolitan Alexandria’s buildings was classified in the heritage list of Alexandria into four categories: have a unique architectural value; built by a famous international architect; belong to a well- known historical character; and have Moral value (Alexandria Government, 2007). As it was mentioned before that one of the biggest problems facing Alexandria nowadays is the ongoing destruction of historic buildings to accommodate new high-rise residential buildings. Therefore, The main Idea of this project to transfer the city's old/historical center to an open-wall museum through renovation and preservation of unique architectural buildings to save the authenticity of the city and to increase the tourists' sense of place.

7.2 Cycling to Alexandria Heritage

The city's historical center is full of attractions and destinations to visit. In addition, cycling is considered a favorite sport and soft mode of transport for many domestic and

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart) international tourists. Many NGOs tried to organize initiatives –for Egyptians- to combine both knowledge with sport, the mix that attracts and encourage youth and athletes to know more about the heritage and history of their city. One of the main obstacles faced is that the city doesn't have any infrastructure specialized for bikes. Therefore, the idea of this project is to provide the city with all the infrastructure needed for bikes in order to take these events to an international level and it to support tourists' transportation in the city.

7.3 ElShalalat Gardens Open-Air Museum

It is an ancient garden that occupy a big area of Al Shatby neighborhood. ElShalalat gardens include registered historic monuments such as Roman cisterns, Hellenistic monuments, military fortresses, and the remains of Alexandria Islamic fence. In addition, the gardens are registered due to its distinctive design and rare plants. Open air museums could successfully demonstrate an architectural dimension and narrate Egyptian historic events (ElSorady & AbdelSalam, 2018). The idea of this project is to transfer this gardens to an open air museum through some renovation and development actions to make it an attractive destination. This Idea is passed on a research conducted by Dr. Dalia El Sorady, titled as "A Sustainable 3 D Open-Air Museum Proposal for ElShalalat Gardens, Alexandria, Egypt".

7.4 City Tourism Tours

The idea proposed is to enrich the tourism itineraries by new and irregular tours such as:

Walking tours4: through cultural routes with themes like:

Literature walking tour: to the places related to the most famous poets and novelists and their works (Cavafis and Laurence Durrell)

Squares walking tours: From Saad Zaghlol Square to Mohamed Ali square or from El- khartom Square to the Ambulance square.

Tolerance walking tour: includes religious buildings represent Islam, different sects of Christianity and Jewish like: El-Shorbaghy Mosque, Anglican saint Mark pro-Cathedral, Greek orthodox patriarchate, Saint Catherin Franciscan church and Elihu Hannabi Synagogue.

4 https://www.bibalex.org/alexmed/Attachments/Publications/Large/Italian%20Itinerary%20- %20Map%20Oct%2008%20copy.jpg https://www.bibalex.org/alexmed/Attachments/Publications/Large/_panel%20cultural%20maps.jpg https://inta-aivn.org/images/cc/Transmed/AlexandriaContribution.pdf

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

Bicycle tours: Organizing tours to see the cosmopolitan architecture in Alexandria by bicycle to see the buildings in (Greek quarter, Mohamed Ali square, Mahtet El-Raml square, Moharem bek district.)

Tram tours: in the two floors Tram wagons, to be devoted to make a special journey in specified hours that the tram stops (not in its regular stops) in the places where the heritage and history could be told by specialized trained tour guides.

Hop-on hop-off sightseeing buses5: Alexandria needs this kind of service that could help the tourists or the local visitors to know more about the city, but with environment friendly buses.

The challenge:

The majority of itineraries of the travel agencies that are offered to the tourists are all similar and focus on 5 main sites. The negative impact leads to:

• Decrease the nights reserved in Alexandria hotels. • Limits possibilities for repeaters as there are no alternate itineraries that will encourage them to come back or advise any one with Alexandria to do more than an over-day visit. • There is a negative effect on local tourism businesses (hotels, restaurants, tour guides, drivers and etc.). The positive impacts are:

• Raising the possibilities of increasing overnight stays. • Attract more tourism and increase repeaters. • Encourage and support healthy and environmentally friendly soft modes of transport (walking and cycling). • Help to maintain the cleanness in those routes with the support of the municipality as this be defined as a touristic route. • Raise awareness on cultural heritage. • Direct economic benefits to local tourism business and the society. • Enhancing the pride of society for their heritage.

7.5 Developing and rehabilitating of Al-Tahrir square

The cruise ships coming back to Egypt with the same rates like before 2011 when the city port were used to receive 250 to 400 cruise ships per year. The first part of the city that the tourists see, is El-Nasr Street and Al-Tahrir Square (Muhamed Ali Square) which is the most important square in the city.

5 https://www.londontoolkit.com/whattodo/london_hoho_bus_discuss.html

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

Areas of improvement: Cleanness, Traffic, street vendors and the decaying of the heritage building facades especially in Al-Tahrir Square6. The current condition of these destroy the city image in the eyes of the tourists and negatively affect the booking for city tours for the passengers of the cruise ships.

Figure 14: Tahrir square in the city center of Alexandria

The suggested plan is to: 1. Create a program for cleaning in El-Nasr Street and Al-Tahrir Square introduce a fine for polluting and use this for maintaining the square. 2. Develop a project with specialists to restore the façade of the heritage buildings and to renovate the façade of the other buildings to be harmonized with the style of the square. 3. Create special walking tours in the square and the surrounding street. 4. Develop a project to add labels and signs explaining the history of each building. 5. Organize heritage activity in the square by night which enriches the night life in Alexandria. 6. Using the available spaces to make a square museum. 7. Create a program for organizing an annual cultural event to maintain and guarantee the quality of the square and draw the attention of the government to the square.

6 http://mediterraneans.mmsh.univ-aix.fr/Pdf/Mediterraneans_08-09_07.pdf

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

8. Restrict access to the square for pedestrians only in certain hours especially by night to enhance the cultural activities and the night life in Alexandria. 9. Invite schools and universities to participate with their students in the events and to be guided in the square which will enhance the pride of the young people with their heritage. 10. Organize an Art Competition to make art works related to the square heritage.

7.6 Alexandria's web-site and a city-guide book

The need is for an appropriate web-site and a city guide book or application that could help the tourists and to promote the city. These should be developed in the English and other languages for the non-Arabic speaking visitors to get information, find the way to the tourist sites, restaurants, hotels and other places of interest.

Professional leaflets and brochures will also be used during the international conferences and tourism exhibitions to promote the city of Alexandria. The suggestion is to:

1. Make a professional guide book of Alexandria in 5 languages to help the municipality and other related authorities in promoting the city. 2. Creating an appropriate web-site to reflect the city and its touristic potentials in 5 languages.

Possible Organizations and agencies that can be involved in the tourism development of Alexandria: 1. Ministry of Tourism 2. Egyptian tourism federation 3. Egyptian Tourism Authority 4. Tourism Development Authority 5. Alexandria Chamber of Commerce 6. Alexandria Business Association 7. Western and Central Delta Cultural Region 8. Regional Authority for Tourism Promotion 9. Faculty of Tourism and Hotels – Alexandria University 10. Faculty of Management and Technology – Hotels and Tourism Department – The Arab Academy of Science and Technology. 11. Tourism related non-profit organizations.

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

7.7 Risks and public safety - Surveillance systems

Public safety is becoming a growing concern for cities worldwide and smart city technologies are transforming the way cities manage their everyday operations and services.

The focus of the relevant smart solutions is to manage the risk and safety challenges and achieve the following:

• Increased Public Safety through Cutting Edge Video Solutions • Ensure highest level of safety and security for citizens and tourists • Prevent and monitor safety/security incidents • Monitor known problems • Improved trafic management and avoid traffic congestions • Respect international norms

Figure 15: Safety and surveillance network

7.8 Cleaner streets and public spaces

Cities should benefit from the latest technologies to keep streets, parks, beaches, monuments, underpasses, bus stops and municipal buildings clean and healthy places to live and work.

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

Solid wastes must be collected, transported, treated/recycled, and disposed. Assessments of the Alexandria solid waste management concluded that key limitation of collection and transfer was the lack of modern mechanical equipment. This was the main reason for not being able to do daily collections. Related issues were: poor equipment maintenance, process management, lack of waste treatment and valorization, and lack of sanitary landfills for final disposal.

Cleanliness was also found to strongly reflect the habits of citizens and of the local community. To ensure clean public spaces, a strategy should be in place to address the following issues:

• To ensure there are no gaps in the city cleansing and maintenance services • To encourage residents to report litter and vandalism promptly for local authorities to move to rectify the situation. This can also be achieved by using surveillance technologies (see 7.8 above) • To prevent litter and other anti-social behavior • To apply penalties for littering and incentives for maintaining cleanliness.

Cities are encouraged to develop a comprehensive strategy for cleaning and for the promotion of public amenity and respect for public spaces.

Objectives of the strategy include:

• Provide clean public places in the city • Contribute to a reduction in anti-social public behavior (littering, graffiti and vandalism) • Facilitate commitment and understanding for maintaining clean public spaces from all stakeholders, citizens and visitors • Ensure that internal communication and procedures are effective in the management of clean public places. • Develop a sense of community ownership and pride of public places.

Environmental issues and pollution is a major concern also in the port as a hub of major economic activity and of environmental pollution in the coastal and port city of Alexandria.

Protection of the natural environment is becoming an increasingly important aspect of port management and environmental concerns include among others, safety in the port, pollution generated during cargo handling, industrial pollution, and in general collecting storing, processing and disposing wastes.

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

8. Conclusions and recommendations

8.1 Project Strategy

The scope of Phase-1 of the Impact Study was to perform an assessment and an evaluation for the main challenges of the city of Alexandria in view of developing and promoting tourism, through field visits and background documentation as well as with brief meetings with local officials and key stakeholders to discuss the priorities.

The Phase-1 Impact Study is based primarily on information from previous studies and reports and data that were readily available from various secondary sources including the main concerns expressed by government and local authority officials as well as other stakeholders.

Figure 16: Stages of the project

The outcome of phase-1 impact study will form the basis for the work to be performed in the next stage of the project, to elaborate further on the issues raised and prepare a strategy to achieve results.

The forthcoming full-scale impact study is essential to:

1. investigate all aspects further, 2. obtain information that require permission and licensing, 3. obtain professional and qualified opinion, 4. identify and examine the benefits, 5. evaluate economic or investment analysis and 6. sufficiently document a number of proposed project plans.

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

8.2 Vision, Goals, and Objectives

The smart and sustainable urban and tourism development of the city of Alexandria, is more than essential to revive and boost tourism and benefit from the positive impact of tourism both in terms of physical, social and economic terms.

Experience of many cities shows that the investment in urban regeneration, in the basic infrastructure and in replicable pilot projects in the city historic centers has a multiplier effect and triggers additional investment from the private sector, and from local and foreign businesses and investors.

Vision: to address and resolve critical issues related to the tourism development of the city and in attracting visitors and tourists. Goal: The Smart and Sustainable Tourism Development to increase the benefits from the increase of tourism flows. Objectives: The main objective of the study is to contribute to the development of sustainable tourism in the city of Alexandria to stipulate the socio-economic development of the city and boost the local businesses. Other objectives: • Develop initiatives and actions utilizing and enhancing the special characteristics of the involved destinations to increase their attractiveness focusing in their natural and cultural assets and involving the local stakeholders and businesses. • Enhancing knowledge and improving the capacity of local communities, tour operators, and other relevant stakeholders involved in the development and management of tourism products. • Support the creation of new tourism packages to be developed with transnational public and private partnerships and with the involvement of local stakeholders, to attract visitors and to facilitate the increase of tourism flows. Innovative approach The study is considering innovation throughout the project ideas and activities and the definition of the terms of reference was a collaborative effort between the project teams and all local experts and partners with specific experience in different sectors. Moreover, the approach is evolved by combining ideas and lessons learned from research studies, and EU project success stories. Phase-1 has identified the Cultural Tourism, Educational Tourism and the visitors from the Diaspora, as the niche sectors for integrating local tourism assets (cultural, historical, natural etc).

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Impact Study 2019 Phase-1 of Tourism Development for the city of Alexandria-Egypt (Alex-Smart)

Different examples and success stories can be studied for the next stage of this project, such as: in Europe – Romania, Cyprus, Italy, Greece etc; EU and WTO related projects and reports. For the marketing strategy new technologies will be proposed to promote the city of Alexandria as a tourism destination: internet, social media, mobile applications, video and short films. For managing the destination and involving the local stakeholders innovative products/ tools can be considered and proposed; Stakeholders Analysis and Stakeholders Engagement, Product Development (Mapping tool), Destination Governance Model. The main concerns and considerations are: Environmental sustainability Increasing accessibility and visibility of less developed touristic areas and increasing tourism flow in the involved destinations of the city of Alexandria, will impact the environment, as any increase in the number of tourists undoubtedly has an impact on a number of environmental variables. Tourism flows add to the pollution, waste, and water needs of the local population, putting local infrastructure and habitats under increased pressure. Potential negative effects include waste generation, increased water and energy consumption, and impacts in noise and atmosphere pollution, landscape aesthetics and the cultural environment. Tourism can create great pressure on local resources such as water, energy, food, and land that may already be in short supply. The tourism negative impacts on the environment may result from:

• The intensive use of water and land by tourism and leisure facilities. • The delivery and use of energy. • Changes in the landscape coming from the construction of infrastructure, buildings and facilities. • Air pollution and waste. • The disturbance of local fauna and local people. • Impacts on biodiversity Potential positive effects can be achieved with principles of sustainable tourism, including reduction of consumption patterns and environmental pressures and by promoting environmental awareness, increasing awareness of value of nature, leading to environmental conscious behavior.

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Sound and efficient environmental management of tourism facilities with respect to water and energy saving measures, waste minimization, use of environmentally friendly material, can decrease the environmental impact of tourism. Planning for sustainable tourism development helps to make choices between the conflicting interests of tourism development and the protection of the environment and achieves tourism contribution to the conservation of sensitive areas and habitats.

NEXT Steps

The final Impact Study is to commence in the beginning of 2020 with an estimate duration of 12 months, to further explore and build on the prefeasibility study and the terms of reference defined in phase-1 of the impact study, to identify and develop detail assessment and impact with focus in the priority areas of the strategy for tourism development of the city of Alexandria.

In-depth study and attention to the existing facility of passenger terminal in the port of Alexandria and making this a functional entrance for tourists in the city. Advertise this to Cruise operators together with the city attractions

Rehabilitation of the roadways from the port to the city center, and creation of tourist facilities and points of relaxation and leisure in the area

Adequate resources will be allocated for the Impact Study which will be developed by the interdisciplinary team of consultants and experts, disposing the range of expertise that matches the project's needs and objectives.

This part will start with the acceptance of this report and presentation documentary clip, and concentrate on the future needs that will be expressed by the Governorate of Alexandria as beneficiary that will be concluded in the kick-off meeting for the next phase. Deliverable part of this phase is a compilation clip of the beautiful places of Alexandria, filmed and produced by Datacom team and collaborators aiming to show the historical and cultural potential of Alexandria and that will be presented by the Romanian Government through RoAid and DATACOM to the public through the internet and presentations. In the future phase a documentary film will be produced, to show and evidence the existing tourist facilities and vision of the Governorate of Alexandria to attract tourists.

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Bassiony, G. M., & Bayoumy, T. F. (2014). A Suggested Plan for Applying the City Bus Tour to Alexandria. Journal of Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Fayoum University - Volume (8), Issue (1), pp:53-71.

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ElSorady, D., & AbdelSalam, M. (2018). A Sustainable 3 D Open-Air Museum Proposal for ElShalalat Gardens, Alexandria, Egypt. The 4th Biennial of Architectural and Urban Restoration, BRAU4 host of the Itinerant Congress Hidden Cultural Heritage: Under Water, Under Ground And Within Buildings. CICOP Italia.

Eltayeb, N. (2016). Evaluating Visitor Management at the Catacombs of Kom Al Shouqafa and pompey’s Pillars in Alexandria. Journal of Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Fayoum University, Vol. (10), No. (2/2), pp:158-169.

Heba, K. (2011). Preserving architectural heritage in historical cities. Study Of The Architectural Heritage With The End Of The Nineteenth Century And The Beginning Of The Twentieth Centure In Alexandria, Egypt. Egypt. lonely planet. (2019, 11 22). Local transport. Retrieved from lonely planet: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/egypt/transport/getting-around/local- transport?lpaffil=lp-affiliates- CJ&cjevent=3b143c380ce211ea82d900cc0a180514#ixzz3OPnI3L00

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Ministry of State For Administrative Development. (2019, 11). Alexandria - Hostory, Culture amd More. Retrieved from Alexandria Portal: http://www.alexandria.gov.eg/Alex/english/tourism.html

Rowlatt, M., Mackie, J. A., & Reimer, M. J. (2019, 11 22). Transportation. Retrieved from ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA: https://www.britannica.com/place/Alexandria- Egypt/Transportation

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WTTC. (2019, 11). Travel and Tourism in Egypt. Retrieved from WTTC: https://www.wttc.org/about/media-centre/press-releases/press- releases/2019/travel-and-tourism-in-egypt-shows-immense-strength-and- recovery-in-2018-says-new-research-by-wttc/

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