Tourism mobilities, marriages and ‘mimicking’: some experiences of domestic migrant tourist workers in Sharm Elsheikh

Abstract

This research explores the experiences of internal migrant workers to Sharm Elsheikh, Egypt, where tourism practices can be viewed as an exchange of mobilities and hospitalities – of domestic migrant workers and international and domestic tourists. Here, nearly all parties are engaged in mobilities; yet, many workers (and some tourists) get stuck in places of hospitality and tourism. It further takes a micro-based approach towards examining how working in the tourism industry is viewed and how some of these workers perceive international tourism affects their lives. Issues such as feelings, justifications, and experiences of working away from home in a city tourism resort have been looked at in a qualitative investigation through semi-structured interviews. The research has revealed a number of issues related to the different typologies of workers, the social benefits, and social costs (mimicking and identity, work-leisure nexus, marriage, and secret marriage). Indeed, the current situation of migrant workers in Sharm Elshiekh needs more attention from the Egyptian Tourism Authorities and Central and Local government.

Keywords:

• Egypt
• migrant workers
• mobilities
• social benefits
• identity
• work-leisure nexus
• social costs

Notes on contributors

Dr Islam Elgammal is a lecturer in the Tourism Management Department at Suez Canal University, Egypt. She had her PhD from the University of Wales Institute Cardiff, UK. She is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in the UK and the author of academic articles on Discourse Analysis, Triple Bottom Line, Sustainable Tourism development, Dark and Wellness Tourism. Islam is also the vice editor-in-chief of the Tourism Academic Journal of the Association of Arab Universities and reviewer in a number of other academic journals.

Chris Wilbert teaches Tourism and Geography at Anglia Ruskin University, England. He is the author of articles on heritage tourism, human-animal geographies, and is co-editor of the collections. Technonatures: Environments, Technologies, Spaces and Place in the Twenty First Century (Ontario: Wilfred Laurier University Press, 2009, with D. White), and Autonomy Solidarity Possibility: The Colin Ward Reader (San Francisco: AK Press, 2011, with D. White).