They don't want to load up with tourists.
Egypt will ban rides with camels, horses and donkeys in the Giza pyramids and the archaeological zone. For PETA Asia the announcement of the Ministry of Tourism in Egypt has been quite a celebration. After years documenting and denouncing the humiliating treatment that occurs in tourist tours and in the sale of horses and camels in Egyptian markets, this news represents another step towards a more responsible type of tourism in the country.
Around 500,000 people signed and supported his petition to demand that the government reconsider the rights of these animals, subjected to strenuous walks under a scorching sun, without water and without food. The organization documented how these animals suffered,** some abused to the point of collapsing in exhaustion** and others abused inside Cairo's Birqash camel market.
“Our images led to the filing of a case by the Society for the Protection of Animal Rights in Egypt (SPARE) against camel sellers in the market, the local council, the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Giza Governorate”, they point out from the official website of PETA. These acts are punishable according to article 357 of the Egyptian Penal Code.
in October, and under the complete renovation of the Giza pyramids area , the government has announced that these rides will be replaced by electric cars and buses. The great renovation of this area began to take shape after a survey of tourists by the Ministry of Tourism in 2015, the results of which revealed that 58% of tourists felt that the area of the pyramids was not safe, 70% said that it was not clean and 74% noted a lack of clear signage, according to Al Monitor.
“Giving the pyramid plateau a complete makeover has been an important element of Egypt's tourism revival strategy. . The plan includes everything from the roads leading to the last wonder of the ancient world to every little stall selling souvenirs,” said Ashraf Mohi El Din, Pyramid Area Director of Antiquities.
Giza 2030 It includes many other aspects, in addition to the journeys to the pyramids with animals. This is a project that encompasses the development plan for the Pyramid Plateau, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), a new Sphinx Museum and the inauguration of Khufu Avenue, which would extend along 8 km and that would link the Plaza of the Sphinx in Mohandiseen with the pyramids, along with a monorail that would cover the same distance.
Everything is little to continue maintaining one of the main economic pillars of the country. Tourism alone accounts for 11.3% of GDP.
And while we wait for the new changes, tourists will have to start rejecting everything that involves animal exploitation in our trips . Because this problem does not only occur in Egypt, but in many countries including ours.