The Economic Importance of Farm Tourism in Reducing Poverty in Upper Egypt

Egypt is a developing country that suffers from some economic problems - like other developing countries. Encouraging private investments in the production and service sectors in general and tourism in particular is one of the most important elements that help reduce poverty. Therefore, encouraging investment in green rural tourism (farm tourism) contributes to raising the growth rate of both the agricultural and tourism sectors, which amounted to about 3.5%, 12.0% in 09/2010. It also contributes to reducing the percentage of poor people by raising income rates among rural residents. Therefore, the study primarily aimed to explore the economic importance of rural tourism on some socio-economic aspects, focusing on reducing poverty through the following sub-objectives: (1) The most important economic features of the Egyptian tourism sector during the period, (2) Describing the current poverty situation with a focus on Upper Egypt, (3) Farm tourism, (4) Components of tourism investment in rural Upper Egypt, (5) The role of agricultural tourism in developing rural areas. The study relied on the use of descriptive statistical analysis and the use of Arithmetic averages, percentages and annual growth rates.
The results of the study revealed a set of facts, the most important of which are:
The number of visiting tourists, tourism revenues, tourism investments and employment in the tourism sector doubled during the period (00/2001 - 09/2010) with a growth rate of about 11.9%, 13.6%, 9.6%, 8.0% respectively.
The study showed that Assiut Governorate has the highest percentage of the poorest population in the Republic at a rate of about 61%, followed by Sohag and Beni Suef Governorates at a rate of about 47.5%, 41.5% respectively.
The study showed that farm tourism plays an important role in the prosperity of global rural economies, especially in the United States of America, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Scotland.
The study indicated that the progress of villages and hamlets extending from Upper Egypt is a distinctive model for tourism investment in general and agricultural investment in particular.
The study confirmed that the most important components of rural tourism investment in Upper Egypt are the cultural heritage, the desert hinterland cities to create a desert depth for the Upper Egypt governorates and the means of transportation and special facilities they have, with the extension of the gas pipeline from northern Giza to southern Egypt to Aswan, in addition to the new Sohag Airport. Upper Egypt is also distinguished by handicrafts as an important tourist attraction.