( 3 minutes read)
· Egypt’s souvenir market was working round the clock when tourists arrive in hordes to see the monuments and other iconic tourist spots
· Many people thrived on this business for a long time
· Souvenir-makers working in the shadow of Giza’s Pyramids and other tourist destinations had several clients all year round.
Egypt’s souvenir market was working round the clock when tourists arrive in hordes to see the monuments and other iconic tourist spots. Many people thrived on this business for a long time. Souvenir-makers working in the shadow of Giza’s Pyramids and other tourist destinations had several clients all year round.
But now, because of the onslaught of Covid-19 pandemic, it is a different story. Tourism crashed in the country risking the livelihoods of many. Some of the small enterprises, which used to employ 10 or 15 people for manufacturing gift items were closed. Some of them are also deeply hit by replicas of pyramids imported from China and sold at very cheap prices.
But the Egyptian government took action to protect its home-grown crafts as it feels that Egyptian products are much superior when it comes to their finish and the material used compared to Chinese ones, which are of inferior quality and color of the artifact can change with time. In the meantime, there is an overwhelming opinion among some of the opinion makers in Egypt for prohibiting the import of goods from China, which price out artisan goods whether they were replicas or copies of Egyptian antiquities.
